Asia-Pacific

BP to show live video during spill-shutoff bid

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-05-26 09:15

Workers contracted by British Petroleum scrape oil from a beach after it was inundated by the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon spill in Port Fourchon, Louisiana May 23, 2010. [Agencies]

HOUSTON - BP said on Tuesday it had decided not to shut off a live video feed of oil spewing from a pipe connected to its leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico when it tries its "top kill" option to pump the well shut with mud and other material.

"BP today confirmed that following detailed discussion with the National Incident Commander, Admiral Thad Allen, it will continue to provide live video feeds from the seabed throughout the planned 'top kill' procedure," the oil company said in a statement.

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Earlier, BP said it might cut off its video link when it started the "top kill" procedure, which it said could start on Wednesday morning. The London-based company says the measure has a 60-70 percent chance to halt the leak.

An administration official said BP agreed to make the live feed of the top kill attempt available at the request of President Obama and the National Incident Center.

BP said the footage could create a misleading impression of the status of the leak.

"Throughout the extended top kill procedure -- which may take up to two days to complete -- very significant changes in the appearance of the flows at the seabed may be expected," BP said. "These will not provide a reliable indicator of the overall progress, or success or failure."

Video footage of the leaking tube late on Tuesday showed the plume of oil had turned from black to a brownish color and become more dispersed, before reverting to its earlier form.

A spokesman said this was a sign that mud was being pumped into the well head.

This was part of a test to ensure the well would not be damaged when mud is pumped in at high pressures during the top kill operation. If the well were damaged, it could increase the size of the leak.

Congressman Ed Markey, who has criticized BP's response to the accident and its level of disclosure of information, praised the decision not to shut off the video link.

"BP made the right decision to allow the public to see this potentially historical event for themselves," Market said in a statement. "The hopes of millions of Americans rest on this effort, and the world deserves a first-hand view of the top kill attempt."

Oil from the slick has already begun to wash up on the shore in Louisiana and threatens to devastate the Gulf Coast.

BP has been accused of covering up the full extent of the spill after its estimate of the amount of oil leaking was shown to be too low.

Oil from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill coats concrete sea barriers in Port Fourchon, Louisiana May 24, 2010. [Agencies]