Second Rig Unrelated to Deepwater Spill Reportedly Leaking in Gulf

[Watchman]

Second Rig Unrelated to Deepwater Spill
Reportedly Leaking in Gulf
Published June 08, 2010
| FOXNews.com

<--- http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/08/fickle-bp-oil-slick-scatters-threats-unevenly-gulf-coast/

A bird flies off of a post near a barge carrying oil booms to be deployed to assist in the containment of oil from a leaking pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana in Venice, La., Thursday, April 29, 2010. The leak resulted from last week's explosion and collapse of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.

A second rig unrelated to the Deepwater Horizon spill has been leaking oil into the Gulf of Mexico since late April, according to reports that appear to show a clearly visible slick at the second location.

The slick from the Ocean Saratoga rig appears to be several miles long off the coast of Louisiana, according to satellite images visible from space and posted on the website of Skytruth.org, a group that monitors environmental issues. The company that operates the rig has been working to plug the leak, which Skytruth reported on May 15, according to local news reports.

Federal officials asked about the second leak in a morning briefing could not verify its existence, or provide details. But more information could be forthcoming shortly.

“We’re going to get detailed information and make a statement later this afternoon,” said Admiral Thad Allen, the Coast Guard official who is the federal government’s point person on the Gulf oil spill.

The second leak appears to be much smaller than the Deepwater spill. But it may have been going on for much longer, according to reports.

Meanwhile, the cap over the broken wellhead in the BP Deepwater spill is collecting more gushing crude day by day, but that's about the extent of the details known as authorities try to pinpoint how much oil is escaping, where it's going and what harm it will cause.

The recently installed containment cap on the stricken BP wellhead is helping to limit the leak, collecting more than 620,000 gallons of oil Monday, Allen said Tuesday in Washington. Still, underwater video feeds continue to show a dark geyser.

"I have never said this is going well," said Allen, who's monitoring the response effort for the government. "We're throwing everything at it that we've got. I've said time and time again that nothing good happens when oil is on the water."

Authorities had earlier reported that the cap collected around 460,000 gallons Sunday and that it was capturing anywhere from a third to three-quarters of the oil spewing out after a damaged riser pipe was cut as part of the containment effort, increasing the flow as a side effect.

A member of the Coast Guard team that's trying to determine how much oil is still leaking told The Associated Press it's possible that estimates the team will generate could be a bit higher than current government estimates.

The team member, University of Texas engineering professor Paul Bommer, said he understands why people might wonder why BP didn't try the cap sooner, especially now that it appears to be doing its job.

"Hindsight is always 20/20," Bommer said. "I think we have to give some credence to the notion they were trying to make things better without making things worse."

BP announced plans recently to swap out the current cap with a bigger one next month that can capture more oil, raising questions about why such plans weren't in place at first as a backup.

"I know it takes some time to fabricate these things," Bommer said. "It's not something you just go to Wal-Mart and buy."

The success of the containment system siphoning off oil from the leaking well, which has produced the nation's largest oil spill, is limited by how tightly the cap sits over it and the ability of ships on the surface to process the oil it traps.

To deal with more oil, BP PLC is preparing to use an EverGreen Burner made by Schlumberger Ltd., Schlumberger spokesman Stephen Harris said. The device turns oil and gas into a vapor that is burned.

BP Mark Proegler said the company has not decided whether to use the burner.

Bommer's team, the Flow Rate Technical Group, includes federal scientists, independent experts and academic researchers, and its projections could ultimately be used to penalize BP judging by how much oil escapes.

BP CEO Tony Hayward is scheduled to testify before a congressional committee June 17 about the company's role in a rig explosion April 20 that killed 11 workers, and the ensuing spill.

Hayward enraged many when he later said, "I'd like my life back," and is sure to receive pointed questions from lawmakers about the cause of the accident and the response to it.

Allen said Tuesday that he would meet with BP to assess how well it is handling claims for relief from people hurt by the spill.

The aim is "to see if we need to provide any oversight," he said, noting that "working claims is not something that's part of BP's organizational competence here."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

[Watchman]