BP continues with ‘top kill’ procedure to plug leak

BP has announced the latest measures to plug the major oil leak are going to plan.

The “top kill” procedure, which has been approved by the US Government, has never been tried at such a depth.

However, company officials say it will another couple of days before they know whether the “top kill” operation has been successful.

BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward has put the operation’s chance of success at 60-70%.

Previous measures have failed and the oil giant is under severe pressure to stop the major oil leak, which is now into its 36th day of spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

The disaster started after an explosion on a BP oil rig on 20 April, which left 11 workers dead.

Two days later, oil began to leak into the Gulf from the damaged well and BP has been battling to contain the leak, which has so far cost the company in the region of $760 million (£525 million).

According to estimates, the amount of oil leaking from the well is around 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons, 795,000 litres) a day.

Meanwhile, if the “top kill” is unsuccessful, BP will try a “junk shot”. However, if both procedures fail, the company will be forced to try other methods, such as a containment dome, according to CNN.

The environmental aspect is said to be devastating with the US Government declaring a “fishery disaster” in the seafood-producing states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

The disaster is now threatening Florida and Cuba and is on course to become the worst environmental disaster in US history.