Gulf well cap holding, oil seepage detected

Leak stopped, but seepage detected

For every victory, there appears to be a defeat for the engineers working on the leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. This weekend saw them successfully cap the well, with pressure tests indicating that it was holding perfectly, but now there are reports that "a substance [is] leaking from the seabed".

This substance is believed to be methane, which means that oil may still be leaking. If this is the case, the capped well may have to be reopened so that oil can continue to be funnelled to the surface

In a letter to BP boss Bob Dudley, retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen who is in charge of clean-up operations said, "Given the current observations from the test, including the detected seep a distance from the well... I direct you to provide me a written procedure for opening the choke valve as quickly as possible without damaging the well."

Mr Allen demanded that the oil company provide swift action over the latest detected seepage. "I remain concerned that all potential options to eliminate the discharge of oil be pursued with utmost speed until I can be assured that no additional oil will spill from the Macondo Well."

If the well is re-opened, it could take days to start to funnel off oil, which would result in tens of thousands of barrels of oil flooding into the Gulf.

The plan that failed

It was hoped that the new cap would stop the leak until relief wells, scheduled for completion next month, would stop the flow for good. However, pressure readings from the well were much lower than expected, raising the fear that oil was leaking, possible under the ocean floor or bedrock.

It will add to the rising costs of the clean-up, which has already cost BP just under $4 billion. The money has gone not just up on clean-up operations, but to 32,000 claimants who have had their livelihoods ruined by the accident.

The company is evaluating a further 17,000 for payment and is seeking more information on 61,000 other claims.

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