BP's "Top Kill" Fails to Stop Oil Leak

BP halted their “Top Kill” operation Saturday, citing problems with the procedure.

The procedure was intended to stem the flow of oil and gas and ultimately kill the well by injecting heavy drilling fluids through the blow-out preventer on the seabed, down into the well.

Despite pumping a total of over 30,000 barrels of heavy mud, in three attempts at rates of up to 80 barrels a minute, and deploying a wide range of different bridging materials, the operation did not overcome the flow from the well, BP said in a news release.

BP is to move to the next step in the subsea operations, the deployment of the Lower Marine Riser Package (LMRP) Cap Containment System.

The operational plan first involves cutting and then removing the damaged riser from the top of the failed Blow-Out Preventer (BOP) to leave a cleanly-cut pipe at the top of the BOP’s LMRP. The cap is designed to be connected to a riser from a drillship and placed over the LMRP with the intention of capturing most of the oil and gas flowing from the well.

The LMRP cap is already on site and should be connected in about four days, BP officials said.

This operation has not been previously carried out in 5,000 feet of water and the successful deployment of the containment system cannot be assured, BP said.

Meanwhile, NOAA trajectory forecasts continue to show oil sheen and tar balls staying well away from the Florida Keys.

The Monday, May 31, models show the southern edge of the sheen positioned about 265 miles west of Key West.

No oil-related impacts to the Keys are forecast for at least the next 72 hours, Billy Causey, superintendent of the southeast region for NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries, said early Saturday evening.