BP confirms well is fully sealed

BP: well is completely sealed

BP has finally fully sealed the unruly Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico, ending months of speculation and anticipation regarding such an outcome.

After spewing millions of barrels of oil into the fragile Gulf, the well was sealed 15 July, however BP had to wait a further two months until a costly relief well could be drilled to completely seal the well at source. Both BP, the federal government scientific team and the National Incident Commander confirmed that these operations successfully sealed the annulus.

"This is a significant milestone in the response to the Deepwater Horizon tragedy and is the final step in a complex and unprecedented subsea operation - finally confirming that this well no longer presents a threat to the Gulf of Mexico," said Tony Hayward, BP group chief executive. "However, there is still more to be done. BP's commitment to complete our work and restore the damage done to the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf coast and the livelihoods of the people across the region remains unchanged."

BP will also now begin the process of dismantling and recovering containment equipment and decontaminating vessels that were in position at the wellsite.

According to Oil and Gas news, there are approximately 25,200 personnel, more than 2,600 vessels and around 25 aircraft involved in the response effort.

Due to a lack of visibility, no surface oil has been collected for two months, however constant reconnaissance flights are conducted as a precautionary measure.

Related articles:

Oil industry must plug old oil, gas wells | Oil reform isn't cheap: Obama requests funds | Traces of Exxon Valdez spill can still be found | Oil spill latest: A nuke to stop the Gulf oil spill

Like this article? Get the RSS feed: