Oil Spill Spreads Rapidly After “Top Kill” Fails

The surface size of the Deepwater Horizon spill is expanding rapidly as news came out that the “top kill” attempt by BP plc (NYSE: BP) has failed and the company will try alternatives to stanch the flow of oil.

According to NOAA, “After three days of trying to kill the well with drilling fluids and debris, BP has conceded that the effort has not been successful in stemming the flow of oil from the ruptured riser.”

After three days of trying to fill the well with drilling fluids and debris, BP has conceded that the effort failed to stem the flow of oil from the ruptured riser.  In an early evening press conference, BP executives said it was unclear why the “top kill” failed, but argued it was time to move to other options.

The next approach for stopping the well leak is the lower marine riser package approach, or LMRP.   The LMRP cap is a newly made version of a device formerly called a “top hat.” In this operation BP will cut the bent riser pipe from the blowout preventer and place an engineered cap over the opening.  The cap would be connected to the drillship via a riser pipe.  The material and equipment required to complete this operation are already in place, but the effort is still expected to take four to seven days.  BP believes that the system could capture much of the leaking oiling, but acknowledges that the relief wells remain the primary solution. The NOAA also said that “OR&R scientists continue to produce daily trajectories of the surface oil. For the nearshore region, moderate southerly winds are forecast to resume and continue through Monday at 5-10 kts. These winds may begin moving oil that has tended to the southwest from the source towards the Delta.  In addition to continued threats to shorelines in Breton and Chandeleur Sounds, model results show that some oil may move north to threaten the barrier islands off Mississippi and Alabama later in the forecast period. ”

The BP plans may still fail, leaving the drilling of relief wells, which could take 90 days, as the only alternative to stop the flow of oil. If that does work, the leak could last for months, until the oil deposit under the ocean floor reaches a level of pressure the same as the water.

By then the entire Gulf could be awash with crude.

Douglas A. McIntyre