BP has deployed a containment cap on the damaged MC252 oil well in the to capture crude oil spewing out of the well in the Gulf of Mexico, but the US Government has warned the crisis could continue for months to come.
The cap system is being observed to see if it is able to effectively reduce the flow of new oil. But the cap is only a temporary fix and oil will continue to spill up until the relief wells are complete and the oil well can be blocked using cement.
On 5 June 2010, the cap funneled about 441,000gal to a tanker on the surface, an increase on the 250,000gal pumped the previous day, reports AP.
BP chief executive Tony Hayward told the BBC on Sunday that he believed the cap was likely to capture “the majority, probably the vast majority” of the oil gushing from the well.
Meanwhile US coastguards have told the media the battle to contain the oil is likely to stretch on for several months.
Canada said it plans to send about 3,000m (1.8 miles) of boom to help the ongoing effort to rein in the spreading oil spill along the Gulf of Mexico coast.
