Gulf oil spill 'could be contained by Monday'

The federal official leading the Gulf of Mexico oil clean-up said today that a new containment cap and an additional ship collecting oil could effectively contain the spill as early as Monday.

National Incident Commander Thad Allen said the work to replace a leaky containment cap on the well head with a tighter one will begin tomorrow.

At the same time, a ship collecting a different part of the leak is expected to start work on Sunday.

If all goes according to plan, the combination could collect all of the oil leaking from the seafloor.

Work is also continuing on what officials hope will be the ultimate solution - a pair of relief wells intercepting the leaking well far below the seafloor.