Oil slick fears from wrecked rig
As hopes faded for the 11 missing crew from the drilling rig that exploded in flames in the Gulf of Mexico, efforts turned to controlling an oil spill.
Experts say up to 336,000 gallons of crude oil a day could be rising from the sea floor 5,000ft below the rig wreck.
The Coast Guard was searching for the missing today, but some family members said they had been told that officials assumed all were dead.
Weather forecasts indicate the spill was likely to stay well away from shore at least through the weekend, but if winds change it could come ashore more rapidly.
BP, which operated the rig, said today it was doing everything possible to contain an oil spill.
It said it has “activated an extensive oil spill response,” including using remotely operated vehicles to assess the subsea well and 32 vessels to mop up the spill.
Chief Executive Tony Hayward said the company will do “everything in our power to contain this oil spill and resolve the situation as rapidly, safely and effectively as possible.”
“We have assembled and are now deploying world-class facilities, resources and expertise, and can call on more if needed,” he said.
BP leased the Deepwater Horizon rig, 130 miles south-east of New Orleans, from owner Transocean.
BP has made improving safety and operational methods a priority after a deadly Texas refinery accident and an oil spill in Alaska.
The company was fined a record 87 million dollars by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration for failing to correct safety hazards after the 2005 Texas City refinery explosion killed 15 workers.
