BP given extra 24 hours to keep well shut

19th Jul 2010 14:20

BP has been told it can keep the cap on its broken well in the Gulf of Mexico for another 24 hours despite fears it may be causing a new leak elsewhere on the ocean floor.A well integrity test began on the MC252 exploration well last week, but there are reports of methane gas escaping, indicating oil may also be getting out.Adm Allen, the retired coast guard in charge of the clean-up operation, has given BP the extra time, but wants the rumoured bid target to submit a plan to reopen the well in case there is a leak."I direct you to provide me a written procedure for opening the choke valve as quickly as possible without damaging the well should hydrocarbon seepage near the well head be confirmed," he said in a statement.BP says it would take three days to begin the process, which would start to release thousands of barrels of oil into the sea.It had wanted the cap to stay in place until relief wells had been drilled to put an end to the environmental disaster for good.A relief well, started on 2 May, has reached target depth and "ranging runs" will be now used to guide the drill bit to a MC252 well intercept point. Operations will then begin to kill the flow of oil and gas from the reservoir by pumping specialized heavy fluids down the relief well. The second relief well has been temporarily halted so it won't interfere with the ranging runs on the first relief well. "Although uncertainty remains, the first half of August remains the current estimate of the most likely date by which the first relief well will be completed and kill operations performed," BP said Monday.Meanwhile, the cost of the disaster that claimed the lives of 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon rig, has reached $3.95bn, with 116,000 claims resulting in over 67,500 payments worth $207m.