By Gerald Helguero: Subscribe to Gerald's RSS feed
June 9, 2010 4:39 PM EDT
The amount of oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico from a ruptured BP well is now exceeding the low end of official government estimates, as the company works to adjust its containment system to capture more oil.
Approximately 15,000 barrels of oil were captured from the well on Tuesday, an amount in-between the May 27 government flow estimate of 12,000 to 19,000 barrels of oil. The company had captured over 14,000 barrels of oil on Monday. An undetermined amount of oil, however, has conmtinued to leak from the well, which was ruptured in an April 20 explosion.
BP has been diverting oil from the well, located 5,000 feet below the surface, since last Thursday. A containment cap connecting a mile long pipe to a container ship above has been sending oil into a container ship above.
The cap has a valve system that allows for pressure adjustments and the shutting off of certain vents, which is supposed to allow for gradual improvements in the capture of oil.
BP will know the limits of its current containment system within the next day or two, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Tuesday.
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Rough estimates of oil spilled into the gulf so far range between 25 million and 35 million barrels, at 42 gallons a barel, based on calculations made from the official daily flow rates.
President Barack Obama will be returning to the Gulf Coast for the fourth time next Monday and Tuesday, where he will continue to asses the response to the spill, the White House said yesterday.
Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the Obama administration's man in charge of the oil spill response, is calling on BP CEO Tony Hayward to make quick payouts for claims by individuals and businesses, and to provide officials with more detailed information to better track the process.
Allen told Hayward, in a letter made public June 8, that when meeting with government officials today, BP's top claim officials should address "ongoing concerns" related to delays in processing large loss claims, claims with no action taken and income claims for individuals. the government also wants to know how BP claims officials plan to engage with local officials.
The letter comes after President Obama warned the company, earlier this week, against "nickel-and-diming" people affected by the spill.
The government is also calling on BP to ensure that the oil collection process can continue smoothly.
"There should be no interruptions of the recovery effort while awaiting another recovery vessel to arrive on scene," Coast Guard Rear Admiral James Watson told BP in a letter.
Watson ordered BP to produce a plan due within 72 hours that will also include contingencies for hurricanes and other severe weather so that vessels which must move out of place can return "as quickly as possible after the storm passes and that collection efforts can resume without delay."
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