It appears that BP has finally succeeded in stopping oil and gas leaking into the Gulf of Mexico from the Horizon Deepwater well.
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In its latest technological move, BP installed a 75 ton sealing cap to the Lower Marine Riser Package (LMRP). The LMRP cap had already been in place for more than an month, but had not totally prevented oil and gas from leaking into Gulf waters.
The new cap, which had never previously been deployed at the depths of the Horizon well, stopped the flow once its hydraulic rams had been closed. However, the crisis teams were quick to point out that regular seismic tests of the surrounding area will continue to ensure no further breaches appear. They also stated that this was a temporary measure until the two relief wells had been completed to finally and permanently seal the Horizon well.
Relief well drilling was temporarily suspended while the cap was installed but has now restarted and the first of the two wells is only a matter of metres from breakthrough. The news received a cautious welcome from US President Barack Obama who called for continued efforts to permanently seal the well.
Meanwhile BP admitted that the 'outreach' payments to Gulf Coast residents has now topped $200m, while the overall cost of operations following the explosion on 20th April have now exceeded $3.5bn with a commitment to also create a $20bn obligation fund.