The US Coast Guard Saturday expressed concern that BP's current plans to contain the Gulf of Mexico oil spill do not go far enough and ordered it to improve them within 48 hours.
US Coast Guard Rear Admiral James Watson told BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles in a letter that BP must do more, given new US government data this week that suggested the flow was as much as double previous estimates.
"Because those estimates have now been revised and estimate a substantially higher flow of oil from the Macado 252 well, it is clear that additional capacity is urgently needed," said the letter dated June 11 and released Saturday.
US government data on Thursday suggested the flow of the leak - before a containment system was put in place last week -- was between 25,000 and 30 000 barrels a day and could be upwards of 40 000 barrels a day.
But the containment system BP is using is only capturing around 28 000 barrels a day, and the company's operation to boost that rate to between 40 000 to 50 000 barrels is not currently scheduled to be ready until July.
"I am concerned that your current plans do not provide for maximum mobilisation of resources to provide the needed collection capacity consistent with revised flow estimates," Watson said.
"I am also concerned that your plan does not go far enough to mobilise redundant resources in the event of an equipment failure with one of the vessels or some other unforeseen problem," he added.
"BP must identify in the next 48 hours additional leak containment capacity that could be operationalised and expedited to avoid the continued discharge of oil."
The latest estimates put the amount of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico so far at between one and two million barrels, but there will be no permanent solution to the leak until the first of two relief wells is completed, in August at the earliest, allowing the leak to be plugged with cement. - AFP