BP continued testing a new cap over its troubled Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico, even as the government's top official over the spill called for vigilance after seepage was detected nearby and anomalies were detected at the wellhead.
In a letter to BP Gulf coast restoration organization chief executive Bob Dudley today, US Coast Guard admiral and national incident commander Thad Allen indicated that tests by a government ship found indications of seepage in the area, and cautioned that BP must be ready to open the well to ease the pressure within and prevent further damage should additional seepage be discovered.
Given the current observations from the test, including the detected seep a distance from the well and undetermined anomalies at the well head, monitoring of the seabed is of paramount importance during the test period, Allen said. Later, he directed Dudley to provide me a written procedure for opening the choke valve as quickly as possible without damaging the well should hydrocarbon seepage near the well head be confirmed.
The ongoing tests are expected to give an indication of the state of the well, which was damaged after an explosion on 20 April sank the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig at the site two days later and created an oil spill that has caused widespread economic and environmental damage along the Gulf coast.
Pressure below 6,000psi would indicate likely damage deep in the well that was allowing oil to escape somewhere else, while a reading over 7,500psi would indicate the well was probably in good condition and the oil within contained. Readings currently are a little more than 6,700psi and rising slightly, which may indicate either damage to the well or a natural depletion of crude as the well has flowed for almost three months, Allen has said.
The tests were initially expected to last for 48 hours, and Allen told Dudley in the letter that a plan must be submitted in the 24 hours outlining the company's next steps. Particular attention should be given to two relief wells being drilled near the site of the disaster, and which are intended to intersect the Macondo well and allow a permanent plugging of the site to stop the flow of oil for good.
As you develop the plans above, note that the primary method of securing the source is the relief well and this effort takes precedence, Allen wrote. Therefore, I direct you to provide a detailed plan for the final stages of the relief well that specifically addresses the interaction of this schedule and any other activity that may potentially delay relief well completion.
In a letter to BP Gulf coast restoration organization chief executive Bob Dudley today, US Coast Guard admiral and national incident commander Thad Allen indicated that tests by a government ship found indications of seepage in the area, and cautioned that BP must be ready to open the well to ease the pressure within and prevent further damage should additional seepage be discovered.
Given the current observations from the test, including the detected seep a distance from the well and undetermined anomalies at the well head, monitoring of the seabed is of paramount importance during the test period, Allen said. Later, he directed Dudley to provide me a written procedure for opening the choke valve as quickly as possible without damaging the well should hydrocarbon seepage near the well head be confirmed.
The ongoing tests are expected to give an indication of the state of the well, which was damaged after an explosion on 20 April sank the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig at the site two days later and created an oil spill that has caused widespread economic and environmental damage along the Gulf coast.
Pressure below 6,000psi would indicate likely damage deep in the well that was allowing oil to escape somewhere else, while a reading over 7,500psi would indicate the well was probably in good condition and the oil within contained. Readings currently are a little more than 6,700psi and rising slightly, which may indicate either damage to the well or a natural depletion of crude as the well has flowed for almost three months, Allen has said.
The tests were initially expected to last for 48 hours, and Allen told Dudley in the letter that a plan must be submitted in the 24 hours outlining the company's next steps. Particular attention should be given to two relief wells being drilled near the site of the disaster, and which are intended to intersect the Macondo well and allow a permanent plugging of the site to stop the flow of oil for good.
As you develop the plans above, note that the primary method of securing the source is the relief well and this effort takes precedence, Allen wrote. Therefore, I direct you to provide a detailed plan for the final stages of the relief well that specifically addresses the interaction of this schedule and any other activity that may potentially delay relief well completion.
