BP hoping cap will end Gulf oil nightmare

WITH a tight cap freshly installed on its leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico, BP planned gradual tests starting last night to see if the device can stop oil from pouring into the sea for the first time in nearly three months.

The cap would be just a temporary solution, but it offers the best hope yet for cutting off the crude that has fouled the Gulf since the Deepwater Horizon rig leased by BP exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. Engineers were to shut down slowly three valves that let oil flow through the 75-ton capping device to see if it can withstand the pressure of the erupting crude and to watch if leaks spring up elsewhere in the well. National Incident Commander Thad Allen said the process of closing the valves, one by one, would start later last night.

If pressure inside the cap stays in a target range for roughly six hours after the valves are closed, there will be more confidence that the cap can contain the oil, Allen told a news briefing at BP’s US headquarters in Houston. That target range is 8,000 to 9,000 pounds per square inch, he said. Anything lower could indicate another leak in the well.