Gulf seabed near ruptured BP well may be leaking
If what’s leaking from the seabed is methane it could mean oil was also leaking: Thad Allen
[And this time he may be telling the truth.]
Rain falls on oil sheen covering the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana Thursday, July 15, 2010. Credit: AP Photo/Patrick Semansky. Image may be subject to copyright.
But BP says it would take three days to start this process.
During this time, the daily leakage of tens of thousands of barrels of oil, which had been capped last Thursday, could resume.
The well began leaking oil into the Gulf after BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on 20 April, killing 11 workers, and capsized two days later.
BP had hoped the cap could stay in place until relief wells stopped the leak for good.
But with pressure readings from within the well lower than expected, scientists had raised concerns that oil could leaking into the surrounding undersea bedrock.
Allen said in a letter to BP chief managing director Bob Dudley: “Given the current observations… including the detected seep a distance from the well and undetermined anomalies at the well head, monitoring of the seabed is of paramount importance…
“I direct you to provide me a written procedure for opening the choke valve as quickly as possible without damaging the well should hydrocarbon seepage near the wellhead be confirmed.” More …
CHINA
Dalian Xingang oil port, China’s largest oil reserve base, have been shut after a crude oil pipeline exploded spilling oil into the sea
A view shows crude oil in the sea near Dalian, Liaoning province July 18, 2010. REUTERS/China Daily. Image may be subject to copyright.
“The port was sealed right after the explosion. We have a one-week contingency plan, but are hoping that the oil spill can be cleaned up as soon as possible,” a PetroChina oil executive told Reuters.
The explosion occurred when an oil tanker was off-loading its crude oil, according to China Daily.
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