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June 01, 2010

Robots to begin cuts to gushing well

Posted: 10:06 AM

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CNN Wire Staff

An operation aimed at lessening the amount of oil gushing from an underwater well in the Gulf of Mexico was under way Tuesday, weeks after a similar effort was abandoned, a BP official said.

"We want to minimize the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, and we're well into an operation to do that," BP Managing Director Bob Dudley said.

Within hours, he said, robots will begin making a series of cuts to the "lower marine riser package" on the well. After that, a diamond-cut saw will be used to make a "clean cut," preparing the way for a custom-made cap to be fitted over the package.


Asked about his level of confidence in the capping procedure, given the fact that other operations aimed at stopping the spill have failed over the past 43 days, Dudley said the company has learned a lot from previous attempts.

An effort to cap the leak by lowering a containment dome on top of it in early May was foiled when ice-like hydrate crystals formed inside the vessel. This time, warm water will be pumped down in an effort to combat the formation of hydrates.

Although the engineering has never been attempted at a depth of 5,000 feet, Dudley said, it is "more straightforward" than that used in previous operations.

Oil has been gushing from the undersea well since April 20, when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank. Government estimates are that up to 19,000 barrels (798,000 gallons) of oil a day are flowing into the Gulf.

Oil from the Deepwater Horizon gusher has affected 24 miles of Louisiana coastline, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said Tuesday.

The latest operation represents the first of three containment steps BP plans to take, he said. After the cap is on, a second operation will create a second flow path through the blowout preventers, meaning there will be two flow paths to the surface.

"By the end of the month, we are engineering a completely separate system that will make it more storm-proof, with a free-standing riser that would allow for quick disconnects if needed," he said. "This engineering is different than the 'top kill' engineering."

If successful, the procedure will allow BP to collect most -- but not all -- of the oil spewing from the well. The long-term solution is the drilling of two relief wells, expected to be in place by August.

"We've always known that the relief wells ... are the long-term solution," Carol Browner, the president's adviser on energy and climate change, said Tuesday. "But hopefully with a tighter fit, this cap will be able to capture all or a significant amount of oil."

Federal officials ordered another 1,200 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico closed to fishing Monday, extending the restricted zone toward the coasts of Alabama and Mississippi. About 26 percent of the Gulf is closed to fishing after National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts showed oil spreading across the water and toward those states' coasts this week.

Meanwhile, President Obama will meet Tuesday with the heads of a new commission created to investigate how to prevent future oil spills.

White House aides said Obama will make public comments after meeting with former Sen. Bob Graham of Florida and former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator William Reilly. The two are leading a commission that has six months to issue a report with recommendations on how to prevent future spills resulting from offshore drilling.

BP, rig owner Transocean Ltd. and oilfield services company Halliburton have blamed each other for the disaster, which left 11 workers dead, but BP is responsible for cleanup under federal law. BP said in a statement Tuesday that the cost of the response to date amounts to about $990 million.

The cutting that precedes the cap placement carries with it a risk of increasing the oil flow, Dudley acknowledged Tuesday. But "even with increased flow rate, this cap will be able to handle this."

However, the BP statement said, "Systems such as the LMRP containment cap have never been deployed at these depths and conditions, and their efficiency and ability to contain the oil and gas cannot be assured."

Attachment of the cap is scheduled for this week but could be delayed, the company said.

"We've always hoped for the best, but we are preparing for the worst," Browner said. The worst-case scenario, she said, would be if the containment doesn't work. "If it is not able to contain the oil, we would be in a situation where it is conceivable that there would be oil leaking at a rate of something on the order of 12 to 20,000 barrels a day until the relief wells are dug, a deeply, deeply troubling situation."

A new issue reared its head Tuesday with the beginning of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, which is predicted to be active. In the case of a Gulf hurricane, Browner said, a vessel would not be able to capture the oil siphoned off through the cap because it could not remain in the Gulf, potentially meaning the flow would continue unchecked.

Some scientists have said they believe that large plumes of oil are under the water's surface. However, scientists have not found evidence of the plumes, Dudley said. "They have found evidence of small decreases in oxygen levels," he said, which is expected when bacteria consume the oil.

"The science of the plumes hanging in the water doesn't feel right," he said. "We're absolutely taking these ideas seriously and looking at them. We haven't found them yet, and neither has the government."

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will head to the Gulf Coast on Tuesday to survey the spill and meet with state attorneys general and federal prosecutors from Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, the Justice Department said.

Last month, a group of senators -- including Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-California -- sent Holder a letter expressing concerns "about the truthfulness and accuracy of statements submitted by BP to the government in its initial exploration plan for the site" and asking Holder to investigate possible criminal and civil wrongdoing.

But in a reply to that letter last week, a Justice Department official did not say whether a criminal investigation had begun.

"The Department of Justice will take all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure that those responsible for this tragic series of events are held fully accountable," Assistant Attorney General Ronald Welch wrote.

Asked about a military response, Browner said Obama has given governors of Gulf Coast states permission to call up the National Guard, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has done so. Right now, she said, the federal government is utilizing those trained in oil clean-up efforts, but more resources would be brought in if needed.

On whether the federal government is doing the best it can, Browner said, "Absolutely. We'll continue to do it."

Late Monday, BP announced several modifications to its plan that will allow crews to collect more crude and prepare for a possible hurricane.

In mid-June, the company said it plans to add a separate riser to take oil and gas to a vessel on the surface to increase the efficiency of the containment operation.

A free-standing riser will be placed 300 feet below sea level by early July, with a flexible hose that can be disconnected during a hurricane, BP said.

CNN's Ed Henry and Paul Courson contributed to this report.

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