The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to expand, and government officials are now saying the ruptured well may be spewing five times a lot more crude than was at first estimated. As strategies to stop the leak failed, the Coast Guard held a news conference late Wednesday night. It was told to reporters by Rear Adm. Mary E. Landry that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration changed the estimate of the leak from 1,000 to 5,000 barrels a day. Cleanup crews working on the oil spill are experimenting with burning the oil slick. It is reported the oil spill might reach the gulf coast of Louisiana by Friday night. It would cost a lot of money today if the situation escalates and, as Landry said, if the military has to be called in to assist.
Oil spill of Gulf coast accelerating
The oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico has been spreading ever since April 20 when a drilling rig leased by BP exploded and then sank about 50 miles off the Louisiana coast, leaving 11 workers missing and probably dead. Originally it was believed by experts the oil came from two leaks within the riser, which happens to be a 5,000 foot long pipe that lead from the rig to the wellhead on the ocean floor. Doug Suttles, chief operating officer for exploration for BP, said a new lead was discovered according to The New York Times. A leading edge of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico stretching about 100 miles across had advanced to 16 miles offshore Wednesday, closing in on the Mississippi River Delta.
Gulf coast oil spill estimates
Scientists are eyeballing video feeds from remote submersibles to estimate output of the leaks in the riser. “That takes a practiced eye,” said Doug Helton in an e-mail to the New York Times Wednesday night. “Like being able to look at a garden hose and judge how many gallons a minute are being discharged. The surface approach is to measure the area of the slick, the percent cover, and then estimate the thickness based on some rough color codes.” The majority of the slick is a thin sheen on the water’s surface, as outlined by CNN. About 3 percent of it is a heavy, pudding like crude oil.
Oil slick on fire
An oil slick fire is being tested to diminish damage to the shoreline from the oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico. BP and Coast Guard crew late Wednesday afternoon started an oil slick fire test 30 miles east of the Mississippi delta of the Mississippi river, according to the Associated Press. Several thousand gallons of the thickest oil on the surface was corralled by a 500 foot fireproof boom. The oil was taken away from the primary body of the spill and ignited with hand held flares. It was expected by the coast guard to vaporize 50-90 percent of the oil within the boom. The toxic black cloud of smoke and soot was expected to be blown out to sea by prevailing winds.
Military to assist oil slick cleanup
As the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico continued to spread, CNN reports that cleanup planners briefed Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Thursday morning. Plans are being works on by the military including putting a ship in the Gulf to support and resupply cleanup vessels or possibly provide aircraft to help map the spill. Also, there may be a supply base established on the coast for equipment and supplies for the cleanup of the oil, which is apparently a long term operation.
This oil slick might spread for months
CNN reports that to stop the oil spill from spreading further, the NOAA said a rig will start drilling the first relief well a half mile from the disaster site on Friday. The well which should stop the gushing leak with concrete, won’t be done for a number of months. A shorter term solution that is expected to take two to four weeks is a dome lowered over the leak at the sea floor which routs leaking oil to a surface collection point. It is uncertain whether the dome technique would be effective. It hasn’t ever been tried so deep in the water.
The oil spill price tag for cleanup
The oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico is costing a heavy toll. Those who are officials in the oil industry suggest replacing the oil rig would cost up to e $ 700 million. Containing the oil spill, according to BP, will cost $ 6 million. The disaster is expected to rise in costs and to exceed $ 1 billion.
Sources
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/us/29spill.html?pagewanted=2&ref=us
