Oil spill latest: A time to 'Top Kill'

Nasa footage of oil spill

As the rainbow sheen of oil continues to expand to over 200 miles in the Gulf of Mexico, seeping into the Louisiana marshes and washing up on Alabama beaches, BP has unleashed its 'Top Kill' technique at the source of the leakage, in a desperate attempt to stem the flow of oil and gas exiting the crippled shut-off valve.

And so far so good, according to BP, who claim that the 7,000 barrels of mud they have so far blasted at high pressure to stifle the leak is doing what it's supposed to; namely to block the hemorrhaging oil pipe and not cause an explosion of mud and oil that would worsen an already catastrophic scenario.

The Top kill method

The 'Top Kill' attempt is the latest in a long line of failed attempts by BP to stem the flow, and is by no means a guaranteed method, especially at 5,000 feet, a depth that 'Top Kill' has never been attempted before. The recently attached RITT, a pipe that extracts oil from the riser pipe and transports it to a containment vessel at the surface is working according to BP, but is only siphoning a fraction of the leaking oil.

BP initiated the 'Top Kill' method yesterday, and claims that the operation should take around 48 hours to complete. The first phase of the operation is to pump heavy drilling mud into the blowout preventer, the set of valves at the top of the well that were compromised when the Deepwater Horizon rig sank last month. BP has claimed that more than one attempt may be necessary, as may the injection of a bridging agent to further gum up the blowout preventer.

There is a risk a weak spot in the blowout preventer that sits on top of the well could breach under the pressure, causing a brand new leak at the site. BP CEO Tony Heyward has suggested 'Top Kill' has a 60 to 70 percent chance of success.

"The procedure is intended to stem the flow of oil and gas and ultimately kill the well by injecting heavy drilling fluids through the blowout preventer on the seabed, down into the well," a BP statement said.

Relationships between the Federal government and BP have been stretched and frayed over BP's inability to halt the spill, with interior secretary Ken Salazar promising to keep his "boot on the throat" of BP.

However if the 'Top Kill' method isn't successful President Obama must face up to the very real possibility of government intervention. According to a new poll from CBS News, public opinion is contemptuous of BP, and nearly half of Americans disapprove of Barack Obama's response, which has done less than some would like to stem the leak.

Watch live footage of the oil spill:

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