BP have finally started to capture some of the oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico after a registered 10,000 barrels of oil being funneled in the past 24 hours.
Video of BP captured oil in Gulf of Mexico
Experts have said that the captured oil is not enough as an estimated 19,000 barrels of oil is pouring into the ocean
However the capture of 10,000 barrels a day is welcomed news after several failed attempt to stop the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.
BP’s chief executive Tony Hayward was reported to have said “As we speak, the containment cap is producing around 10,000 barrels of oil a day to the surface,” and added that the captured amount is “probably the vast majority”.
The oil has been gushing out of a ruptured pipeline after a fire demolished the Deepwater Horizon rig which led to the death of 11 employees over 6 weeks ago.
The latest attempt by BP, which has reported up to $1.2 billion of losses, involved a cap placed over the leak which siphons the oil into a containment ship.
Some of the difficulties which were faced by BP was due to the high depth of the leak site which is around 1600 metres bellow surface.
Due to the high depths, the temperatures and pressure caused the oil to have a sludge effect making it more difficult to operate on.
The news comes as a small relief after several sites declaring the oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico as the worst environmental disaster in the history of the United States.
It is also feared that the oil spill will cause the surrounding areas irreparable damage after several fish and wildlife including birds being found dead, covered in oil.
However BP boss Hayward has said that BP will put the Gulf of Mexico into its old state though this is a steep uphill challenge.
Meanwhile Barack Obama on the weekly radio address on Saturday has said “We will continue to leverage every resource at our disposal to protect coastlines, to clean up the oil, to hold BP and other companies accountable for damages,” he said.
It is alleged that an estimated 20 million gallons of crude oil has poured into the Gulf of Mexico since the end of April when the Oil rig collapsed.
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