New BP spill worst-case scenario: Oil till Christmas?

[n2doc]

BP fumbled its latest effort to stanch the gushing Gulf spill. What happens if it just can't stop the leak?
POSTED ON JUNE 3, 2010, AT 12:07 PM

BP has officially given up trying to seal its gushing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico until it can finish drilling at least one "relief well" in mid-August. Although its latest attempt to temporarily control the spill (by sawing off the damaged riser pipe and capping it to divert most of the oil to a ship on the ocean's surface) may succeed, what if the long-term "relief wells" solution fails, as experts say is entirely possible? (Watch an AP report about the most recent cleanup delay.) Here, a quick-guide to the worst-case scenarios:

What's BP saying?
In its original filing with the Interior Department, BP said it could handle a worst-case spill scenario of up to 162,000 barrels a day. BP CEO Tony Hayward recently lowered that figure to 60,000 barrels a day. The federal government says that 12,000 to 19,000 barrels a day are currently spilling into the Gulf.

What's the prognosis on the cut-and-cap effort?
Though the initial attempt failed when the diamond saw got stuck almost halfway through the 20-inch riser, BP technicians successfully sheared off the damaged pipe Thursday, albeit not as cleanly as hoped. If the cap can be affixed correctly, says oil consultant Nansen Saleri, BP might be able to suck up 90 percent of the gushing oil.


more

http://theweek.com/article/index/203613/new-bp-spill-worst-case-scenario-oil-till-christmas

[w4rma]

1. Worst case is 10+ years of gushing. (nt)