Coast Guard tells BP to speed up containment pace
HOUSTON
Coast Guard Rear Adm. James A. Watson sent a letter to BP
officials on Friday expressing frustration with the overall pace of
the effort and ordered the company to identify ways to expedite the
process in the next 48 hours.
"Recognizing the complexity of this challenge, every effort
must be expended to speed up the process," Watson wrote in the
letter, sent to Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer.
BP has struggled with several efforts to contain the oil. The
latest cap installed on the blown-out well is capturing about
650,000 gallons of oil a day, but large quantities are still
spilling into the sea.
Scientists have estimated that anywhere between about 40 million
gallons to 109 million gallons of oil have gushed into the Gulf
since a drilling rig exploded April 20, killing 11 workers and
triggering the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
The Coast Guard initially sent a letter to BP on Wednesday
asking for more details on its plans to contain the oil.
BP responded, saying a new system to trap oil gushing from a
well in the Gulf of Mexico should be complete by mid-July. BP
officials said Saturday the new design meant to better withstand
the force of hurricanes could capture nearly 2.9 million gallons of
oil daily when fully built.
But Watson said he was concerned that BP's plans didn't maximize
resources or "go far enough to mobilize redundant resources" in
the event of an equipment failure or another problem.
