[StBernard] BP Press Release

[Westley Annis]

UPDATE ON GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL

 

 

BP today provided an update on developments in the response to the MC252 oil
well incident in the Gulf of Mexico. 


 


Subsea Source Control and Containment 


 

Two systems continue to collect oil and gas flowing from the Deepwater
Horizon's failed blow-out preventer (BOP) and 

transport them to vessels on the surface. 

 

The lower marine riser package (LMRP) containment cap, installed on June 3,
takes oil and gas to the Discoverer 

Enterprise where oil is collected and gas is flared. The second system,
which began operations on June 16, takes 

oil and gas to the Q4000 vessel on the surface where both oil and gas are
flared. 

 

On June 26, a total of approximately 22,750 barrels of oil were collected or
flared by the two systems and 52.9 million 

cubic feet of gas were flared.  Specifically, the LMRP containment system
connected to the Discoverer Enterprise 

collected 14,730 barrels of oil, and the Q4000 flared an additional 8,020
barrels of oil. To date, the total volume of 

oil recovered or flared by containment systems is approximately 435,600
barrels. Information on the volumes of oil 

and gas that are collected or flared is updated twice daily on BP's website,
www.bp.com. 

Preparations continue for the next step in containment operations. Work on
the first floating riser containment system, 

which will be connected to the Helix Producer vessel, remains on schedule.
It is currently anticipated that this system 

will be available to begin first operations at the end of June or in early
July. The system is intended to provide additional 

oil containment capacity of approximately 20,000-25,000 barrels a day.
Together with the LMRP cap and Q4000 

systems, the addition of this new system should increase total oil
containment capacity to 40,000-50,000 barrels a day. 

The floating riser system is designed to allow more rapid disconnection and
reconnection of the system, reducing the 

time that collection may be impacted in the case of, for example, inclement
weather.

 

Plans also are being developed for potential additional containment capacity
and flexibility, including a second floating 

riser system and additional capacity through a new cap on the BOP. These
projects are currently anticipated to be 

available to begin operations around mid-July. 

 

The LMRP containment cap system, the Q4000 system, and the planned
additional containment systems never before 

have been deployed at these depths or under these conditions, and their
efficiency and ability to contain or flare the 

oil and gas cannot be assured.

The first relief well, which started drilling May 2, has reached a measured
depth of 16,546 feet and has successfully

 completed a second "ranging" run using specialist equipment inserted into
the well to help more precisely locate the 

MC252 well. Drilling and ranging operations will continue over the next few
weeks as the well progresses towards the

 target intercept depth of approximately 18,000 feet.  Once intercept has
occurred, operations are expected to begin to 

kill the flow of oil and gas from the reservoir by pumping specialised heavy
fluids down the relief well.The second

 relief well, which started May 16, is at a measured depth of 12,038 feet.
Both wells are still estimated to take approximately 

three months to complete from commencement of drilling. 

 


Surface Spill Response and Containment 


 

Work continues to collect and disperse oil that has reached the surface of
the sea, to protect the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico, 

and to collect and clean up any oil that has reached shore.



Over 39,000 personnel, almost 5,000 vessels and some 110 aircraft are now
engaged in the response effort.


Operations to skim oil from the surface of the water now have recovered, in
total, approximately 652,000 barrels 

(27 million gallons) of oily liquid.  In addition, a total of 275 controlled
burns have been carried out to date, removing an 

estimated 238,000 barrels of oil from the sea's surface.

The total length of containment boom deployed as part of efforts to prevent
oil from reaching the coast is now over 2.9 million 

feet (over 550 miles), and over 4.7 million feet (almost 900 miles) of
sorbent boom also has been deployed. 


 


Additional information 


 

To date, more than 80,000 claims have been submitted and almost 41,000
payments have been made, totalling more than $128 million.


The cost of the response to date amounts to approximately $2.65 billion,
including the cost of the spill response, containment, 

relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid, and federal
costs. On June 16, BP announced an agreed package of measures, 

including the creation of a $20 billion fund to satisfy certain obligations
arising from the oil and gas spill. It is too early to quantify 

other potential costs and liabilities associated with the incident. 

 

Note: a video describing progress of the relief wells is now available on
http://bp.concerts.com/gom/reliefwellgraphics062710.htm
<http://bp.concerts.com/gom/reliefwellgraphics062710.htm> . 

A telephone media briefing on this subject by Kent Wells, BP senior vice
president, Exploration and Production, will be held at

 15.30BST, 09.30 CDT, June 28. Details of this call are available on
www.bp.com.

 

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