Oops…

Could this indicate some failures “down pipe”?

BP’s claims to have successfully capped its leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico have been questioned after a potential leak was discovered on the seabed nearby.

The US government has ordered the company to produce a report on a “detected seep” near the pipeline damaged in the Deepwater Horizon explosion. It did not disclose what substance had been found to be escaping from the ocean floor but the announcement will raise concerns that an operation to plug a burst pipeline may simply have moved the problem elsewhere.

“Given the current observations from the test, including the detected seep a distance from the well and undetermined anomalies at the well head, monitoring of the seabed is of paramount importance during the test period,” Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said in a letter to BP chief managing director Bob Dudley.

This could be very bad if it’s blowing out the side somewhere; the pressure could really erode the area around the pipe.

Comments are closed.