On June 16, the company announced an agreed package of measures, including the creation of a $20bn fund to satisfy certain obligations arising from the oil and gas spill.
BP said that the two containment systems continue to collect oil and gas flowing from the Deepwater Horizon’s failed blow-out preventer (BOP) and transport them to vessels on the surface.
The lower marine riser package (LMRP) containment cap, installed on June 3, takes oil and gas to the Discoverer Enterprise where oil is collected and gas flared. The second system, which began operations on June 16, takes oil and gas to the Q4000 vessel on the surface where both oil and gas are flared.
Oil and gas collection through the LMRP cap containment system was suspended for approximately 10 hours on June 23 following an unexpected release of seawater from the Discoverer Enterprise. Capture of oil and gas through the system connected to the Q4000 continued throughout the day.
On June 23, a total of approximately 16,830 barrels of oil were collected or flared by the two systems and 36.7 million cubic feet of gas were flared. Specifically, the LMRP containment system connected to the Discoverer Enterprise collected 8,300 barrels of oil, and the Q4000 flared an additional 8,530 barrels of oil.
To date, the total volume of oil recovered or flared by the containment systems is approximately 364,500 barrels, BP said.
According to the company, the LMRP containment cap and Q4000 systems never before have been deployed at these depths and conditions, and their efficiency and ability to contain or flare the oil and gas cannot be assured.
Preparations continue for the next step in containment operations. Preparation of the first floating riser containment system that will be connected to the Helix Producer vessel remains on schedule. It is currently anticipated that this system will be available to begin first operations at the end of June or in early July.
Plans also are being developed for additional containment capacity and flexibility. These projects are currently anticipated to begin operations around mid-July, BP said.
