The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010 became the target for Tropical Storm Bonnie as it pulled from the Bahamas Thursday . Oil spill containment and cleanup was brought to a standstill. BP was waiting for official word from Thad Allen, the federal director of the spill response about whether drill rigs, oil containment ships and support vessels would have to evacuate. Better weather could have to return before a final effort to kill the well is attempted. But the feds are confident, according to Allen, the storm will not force them to disconnect the oil spill containment cap that has stanched the flow from the ruptured well.
Tropical Storm Bonnie puts hold on oil spill response
The storm system called Tropical Storm Bonnie could reach the Gulf of Mexico by Saturday, Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The Associated Press reports that crews were just days finishing a relief well to permanently seal the well before work was halted. Original plans were for crews to reinforce the last few feet of the relief well with cement on Wednesday and Thursday, before killing it once and for all by pumping mud to the gusher. Two more weeks could pass before they can resume the effort to kill the well if Tropical Storm Bonnie forces an evacuation. To meet BP’s timeline of plugging the blowout by early August, the relief well would have to be complete by the end of July.
New static kill tactic depends on complete relief well
A “static kill,” is the latest option being considered to plug the BP oil leak. The New York Times reports that a static kill involves pumping heavy drilling mud to the well through the blowout preventer to permanently stop the flow of oil and gas. A static kill can’t start until the relief well casing is fully installed, to avoid damaging the relief well if something goes wrong. If the static kill works as advertised, the relief well will still be needed to confirm that the well has been killed. If the results from the static kill are ambiguous, though, it would then take at least various days, and possibly a number of weeks, to permanently shut the flow from the bad well by pumping mud down the relief well.
Pressure holding on oil spill cap
Despite Tropical Storm Bonnie, the government told BP it could leave the oil spill containment cap attached. Bloomberg reports that Allen said data from the well gave them “growing confidence that keeping the cap on would not damage the leaking well. Pressure inside the well has risen to 6,863 pounds per square inch since BP sealed it July 15, indicating oil and gas is not being forced out elsewhere within the well bore, according to BP’s website. Each day that goes by with pressure holding increases the level of confidence within the cap, said a BP official.
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