UPDATE: US Gives BP 48 Hours To Devise More Aggressive Oil Containment Plan

12th Jun 2010 17:39

(Adds that BP officials weren't immediately available for comment.) By Andrew Morse Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES The U.S. has given BP PLC (BP) two days to devise a more aggressive plan for containing oil leaking from its damaged deepwater well into the Gulf of Mexico, according to a letter sent to the oil giant and released publicly on Saturday. In the letter, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral James Watson said more capacity to control the leak was "urgently needed" and that the oil giant's current plans did not provide enough redundancy measures. Watson gave BP 48 hours to come up with a new plan to deal with the leak, which is now believed to be spewing as much as 40,000 barrels a day--roughly twice previous estimates--into the Gulf. "I am concerned that your current plans do not provide for maximum mobilization of resources to provide the needed collection capacity consistent with the revised flow estimates," Watson wrote. "I am also concerned that your plan does not go far enough to mobilize redundant resources in the event of an equipment failure with one of the vessels or some other unforeseen problem." BP officials weren't immediately available for comment. The new demand comes as tension surrounding the ecological and economic disaster mount. U.S. President Barack Obama and U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron were scheduled to speak via telephone on Saturday morning and BP's handling of the leak was expected to be discussed. The president has also requested a meeting with BP's top executives on Wednesday. On Friday, BP collected 15,550 barrels of oil from the leaking well, roughly in line with previous days. In a brief statement on its website, BP also said it had collected a total of 104,300 barrels of oil from the ruptured well since a new containment system was put in place to help corral one of the worst oil spills in history. The London-based oil giant said "operations were stable." On Friday, U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who is overseeing the government's response team, said BP hopes to increase its daily collection rate to 40,000 to 50,000 barrels a day by the end of the month or early July. -By Andrew Morse, Dow Jones Newswires; 415-439-6402; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires June 12, 2010 12:39 ET (16:39 GMT)