Gulf oil well: ‘kill’ operation move forward

Engineers moved ahead yesterday with preparations for a well “kill” operation that officials hope would permanently plug the oil leak behind the most severe US environmental disaster ever.
A major vessel charged with drilling a relief well to finally stop the BP oil spill arrived back at the Gulf of Mexico well site Saturday after briefly evacuating due to a tropical storm.
US Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said a first chance to seal the well for good could come in the next three to five days, as response crews quickly scaled operations back up after the storm fizzled.
“That is a very rough estimate, three to five days from now,” Allen said.
The returning drill rig, Development Driller 3 (DD3), was among some 10 ships that evacuated the area ahead of Tropical Storm Bonnie. It was to begin reattaching to the well site immediately, according to the US official overseeing the spill response.
A cap over the wellhead has shut in leaking oil since July 15.
The International Energy Agency estimates that between 2.3 million and 4.5 million barrels of crude have gushed into the sea as a result of the leak.
BP spokesman Bryan Ferguson said it would take around 21 hours to reconnect the DD3 to drilling operations some 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) below the sea surface.
The rig is drilling the first of two relief wells that will be used to definitively plug the devastating spill.
Before operations can begin, the last section of the relief well must be secured with a 3,000-foot piece of steel pipe called a “casing run,” which will be cemented in place.