BP said that installation of the sealing cap is proceeding as planned. Initial steps included the removal of six bolts along with the LMRP’s flange. A transition spool was subsequently installed on the existing flange. The next step is to install a capping stack that has three closing rams.
The Q4000 containment system continues to capture oil and gas from the MC252 well and flare the hydrocarbons at the surface. The Helix Producer containment system is being commissioned to begin the collection of additional oil and gas, prior to ramping up containment operations.
On July 10, a total of approximately 15,200 barrels of oil were collected or flared and 35.2 million cubic feet of gas were flared. Specifically, the LMRP containment system connected to the Discoverer Enterprise collected 7,096 barrels of oil, and the Q4000 flared an additional 8,100 barrels of oil.
With the removal of the LMRP cap, oil recovered from the Discoverer Enterprise was lower on July 10 and recovery from the Discoverer Enterprise has since been discontinued, BP said. As of July 10, the total volume of oil collected or flared by the containment systems is approximately 749,100 barrels.
Plans are also being developed for additional containment capacity and flexibility that will ultimately increase capacity to 60,000-80,000 barrels per day. These projects are currently anticipated to begin operations towards the end of July.
According to BP, the sealing cap system, the Q4000 system, the flexible riser system and the planned additional containment systems never before have been deployed at these depths or under these conditions, and their efficiency and ability to contain or flare the oil and gas cannot be assured.
Work on the first relief well, which started on May 2, continues. The well reached a measured depth of 17,810ft on July 11 and a tenth ‘ranging’ run was completed. Following the running and cementing of the 9 7/8-inch casing and further ranging runs, the relief well is intended to intercept the original well at approximately 18,000ft.
Operations will then begin to kill the flow of oil and gas from the reservoir by pumping specialized heavy fluids down the relief well. The second relief well, which started on May 16, is just below 16,000ft and preparing to cement casing.
Although uncertainty still exists, the first half of August remains the current estimate of the most likely date by which the first relief well will be completed and kill operations performed, the company said.
Surface Spill Response and Containment Through July 10 Work continues to collect and disperse oil that has reached the surface of the sea, to protect the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico, and to collect and clean up any oil that has reached shore.
Operations to skim oil from the surface of the water collected more than 25,000 barrels of oily water on July 10. To date, these operations have recovered, in total, approximately 720,238 barrels (30.25 million gallons) of oily liquid. In addition, a total of 286 controlled burns have been carried out to date, removing an estimated 238,095 barrels of oil from the sea surface.
The total length of containment boom deployed as part of efforts to prevent oil from reaching the coast is now more than 3.1 million feet (587.12 miles). The cost of the response to date amounts to approximately $3.5bn, including the cost of containment, relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid, and federal costs.
