Official: Seep, possible methane leak found near BP's blown out oil well in Gulf of Mexico

NEW ORLEANS - A federal official says scientists are concerned about a seep and possible methane near BP's busted oil well in the Gulf of Mexico

www.startribune.com...

Both could be signs there are leaks in the well that's been capped off for three days.

The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because an announcement about the next steps had not been made yet.

The official is familiar with the spill oversight but would not clarify what is seeping near the well. The official says BP is not complying with the government's demand for more monitoring.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The custom-built cap that finally cut off the oil flowing from BP's broken well held steady Sunday, and the company hopes to leave it that way until crews can permanently kill the leak.

That differs from the plan the federal government laid out a day earlier, in which millions more gallons of oil could be released before the cap is connected to tankers at the surface and oil is sent to be collected through a mile of pipes.

Federal officials wary of making the well unstable have said that plan would relieve pressure on the cap and may be the safer option, but it would mean three days of oil flowing into the Gulf before the collection begins.

Both sides downplayed the apparent contradiction in plans. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who will make the final decision, said the containment plan he described Saturday hadn't changed, and that he and BP executives were on the same page.

"No one associated with this whole activity ... wants to see any more oil flow into the Gulf of Mexico," said Doug Suttles, BP PLC's chief operating officer. "Right now we don't have a target to return the well to flow."

The official is familiar with the spill oversight but would not clarify what is seeping near the well. (from report you posted).


Good work OP, but not sure where you came up with methane - they didnt clarify what was seeping. They are most likely bashing their heads together as I type, we should see some procedures soon I would think.

More from AP - the story is still developing...

www.google.com...

NEW ORLEANS — A federal official said Sunday that scientists are concerned about a seep and possible methane seen near BP's busted oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.

Both could be signs there are leaks in the well that's been capped off for three days.

The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because an announcement about the next steps had not yet been made.

The official is familiar with the spill oversight but would not clarify what is seeping near the well. The official said BP is not complying with the government's demand for more monitoring. BP spokesman Mark Salt declined to comment on the allegation, but said "we continue to work very closely with all government scientists on this."

Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen will make the final decisions on the next step. The official said Allen would issue a letter to BP shortly allowing testing to proceed in 24-hour increments, but also requiring more analysis of the seep and the possible observation of methane over the well.

If Allen doesn't get the response he wants, the testing could stop, the official said.

The custom-built cap that finally cut off the oil flowing from BP's broken well three days ago was holding steady Sunday.

A BP official said the company hoped to leave the cap in place until crews can permanently kill the leak.

That differs from the plan the federal government laid out a day earlier, in which millions more gallons of oil could be released before the cap is connected to tankers at the surface and oil is sent to be collected through a mile of pipes.

Federal officials wary of making the well unstable have said that plan would relieve pressure on the cap and may be the safer option, but it would mean three days of oil flowing into the Gulf before the collection begins

I assure you that this methane leak is not nearly as dangerous as the gas emanating from our flatulent government.

PffffffT.

Seriously, there isn't enough corexit on this planet to disperse them.

reply to post by crazydaisy


Right there is the possible methane, in that updated ap story...

Everyone, please don't miss the word POSSIBLE!

i guess the MSM is ramping up their hype on the spill to garner credulity with the public.

the words already in the blogosphere that there are numberous other 'leaks' associated with this well-head & pipe casing that penetrated the Macando Formation and got blown apart along with 11 oil workers lives back in April '10

On the day the cap was deemed to have stopped the oil flow there were already news stories about concerns over lower than expected pressures at the cap that might be indicating either the integrity of the wellbore was comprimised or simply that months of gushing lower the well pressure. I immediattely thought that they were covering their collective butts when it is discovered that the problem is not yet fixed.

I was optimistic at the news of them successfully capping the leak,
But honestly I never really believed that it was over.

Like many on this site I had a feeling that the real magnitude of this event had yet to be seen.

Is that perhaps a deliberate tactic? To give people some hope then take it away again?

reply to post by MrVertigo


Letting go of the doom and gloom will be difficult, but in time even you will be able to accept the fact that this wasn't really as bad as everyone wanted it to be.

reply to post by HunkaHunka



Yes, the second article did say that, didn't see methane mentioned in the first article. Now I am concerned, I was hoping for oil leakage, if anything.

reply to post by Fractured.Facade


dont forget how they will say Obama wants to poison the Gulf if the government does make them remove the cap to avoid catastrophe or get a proper sense of the amount of bbd so BP can be properly fined.

Oil seeps are common off the Calif coast and have been for 1000s of years.
How do they want to stop the natural oil seeps off the Calif coast.
drill for oil.
www.soscalifornia.org...

Is this a natural seep or caused by the well.
They may never know.

geomaps.wr.usgs.gov...
www.sciencedaily.com...

The only way to stop oil seeps is to remove the source.
Drill baby drill!!!

Originally posted by Fractured.Facade
reply to post by MrVertigo

 

Letting go of the doom and gloom will be difficult, but in time even you will be able to accept the fact that this wasn't really as bad as everyone wanted it to be.

Doom and gloom is one thing, facing facts is another.

I know there has been a lot of speculation and hysteria, even talks about extinction level events & similar fearmongering. People do need to keep a level head when reading about this.

This won't end life as we know it but it could very well affect millions and cause many, many casualties. There is also the chaos if the government decide to evacuate coastal areas.

These are real possibilities and should be treated as such. Putting on a happy face and ignoring it isn't going to help either.

BP, feds clash over reopening capped Gulf oil well

www.chron.com...

The official, who would not clarify what is seeping near the well, also said BP is not complying with the government's demand for more monitoring.

BP spokesman Mark Salt declined to comment on the allegation, but said "we continue to work very closely with all government scientists on this."

Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the Obama administration's spill response chief, insisted Sunday that "nothing has changed" since Saturday, when he said oil would eventually be piped to surface ships. The government is overseeing BP's work to stop the leak, which ultimately is to be plugged using a relief well.

Allen decided to extend testing of the cap that had been scheduled to end Sunday. That means the oil will stay in the well for now as scientists continue run tests and monitor pressure readings. He didn't say how long that would take.

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security referred questions to a statement issued by Allen; neither he nor BP officials could explain the apparent contradiction in plans.

A federal official familiar with the spill oversight told The Associated Press that a seep and possible methane found near the busted oil well have scientists concerned that it may still be leaking. The official spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because an announcement about the next steps had not been made yet.

The official would not clarify what is seeping near the well. The official also said BP is not complying with the government's demand for more monitoring.

Suttles' comments carved out an important piece of turf for BP: If Allen sticks with the containment plan and oil again pours forth into the Gulf, even briefly, it will be the government's doing, not BP's.

The company very much wants to avoid a repeat of the live underwater video that showed millions of gallons of oil spewing from the blown well for weeks.

"I can see why they're pushing for keeping the cap on and shut in until the relief well is in place," said Daniel Keeney, president of a Dallas-based public relations firm.

The government wants to eliminate any chance of making matters worse, while BP is loath to lose the momentum it gained the moment it finally halted the leak, Keeney said.

"They want to project being on the same team, but they have different end results that benefit each," he said.

Oil would have to be released under Allen's plan, which would ease concerns that the capped reservoir might force its way out through another route. Those concerns stem from pressure readings in the cap that have been lower than expected.

Scientists still aren't sure whether the pressure readings mean a leak elsewhere in the well bore, possibly deep down in bedrock, which could make the seabed unstable. Oil would be have to be released into the water to relieve pressure and allow crews to hook up the ships, BP and Allen have said.

So far, there have been no signs of a leak.

"We're not seeing any problems at this point with the shut-in," Suttles said at a Sunday morning briefing.

Allen said later Sunday that scientists and engineers would continue to evaluate and monitor the cap through acoustic, sonar and seismic readings.

They're looking to determine whether low pressure readings mean that more oil than expected poured into the Gulf of Mexico since the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig exploded April 20, killing 11 people and touching off one of America's worst environment crises.

Originally posted by St Udio
i guess the MSM is ramping up their hype on the spill to garner credulity with the public.

the words already in the blogosphere that there are numberous other 'leaks' associated with this well-head & pipe casing that penetrated the Macando Formation and got blown apart along with 11 oil workers lives back in April '10

thee are at least 3 points where bubbles are leaking...from the small pipe shown on Skandi 2 for a few days, and two places below the yellow plate as well...not sure if that's what this is all about though.

[edit on 18-7-2010 by FearNoEvil]

reply to post by FearNoEvil


Good analogy. great fun

I think tuough as bad as a seep or leak may be this would be classifed as a fissure.

Still not good at all but(t) better than an Inversion.

ha ha thanks for the laugh.

sorry the coorelization may be serrious.

i spell type and see like abe lincoln. sorry

US orders BP to provide oil well cap release plan
www.bbc.co.uk...

The US government has ordered BP to submit a plan for reopening its capped oil well in the Gulf of Mexico amid fears of a methane leak near the well.

The US official in charge of cleaning up the oil spill, Thad Allen, said the plan would have to be implemented as soon as possible if this was confirmed.

Oil would then be funnelled to the surface.

BP has said it will take three days to start this process, during which time oil would be released into the sea.

BP had hoped the well cap could stay in place until relief wells stop the leak for good.

In a letter to BP chief managing director Bob Dudley, Admiral Allen said: "I direct you to provide me with a written procedure for opening the choke valve as quickly as possible... should hydrocarbon seepage near the well head be confirmed."

www.recycle.co.uk...

Fresh fears have emerged that oil maybe seeping from the ocean floor near the Gulf of Mexico oil well. Thad Allen, an US official in charge of the clean-up at the stricken well, said that methane was leaking from the seabed, meaning oil may also be a problem.

If his fears are found to be true, Allen will order BP to reopen the recently capped well to allow the leaking oil to be funnelled to the surface once again. The oil company has, however, said it will take at least three days to start this process. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of barrels of oil could resume their leakage into the ocean since being stopped last Thursday.

Oil began leaking into the waters around the Gulf after BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers. The company had hoped the cap would plug the colossal leak before a relief well is bought in as a permanent solution.

“Given the current observations… including the detected seep a distance from the well and undetermined anomalies at the well head, monitoring of the seabed is of paramount importance”…said Allen in a letter to BP chief Bod Dudley.

The letter went on to read: “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 wellhead be confirmed.”