U.S. Coast Guard Approves BP's "Top Kill" Maneuver

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

The U.S. Coast Guard gives BP approval to try to stop the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico by pumping heavy mud into the well, but there's no word yet on when the attempt will start.

The Coast Guard says it gave the approval for the "top kill" maneuver after consulting with government scientists. The top kill has never before been tried a mile beneath the sea, and company officials say it could be a couple of days before they know whether it is working.

Engineers hope to pump enough mud into the gusher to overcome the flow of the well. They plan to follow up the mud with cement that the company hopes will permanently seal the well.


Read more: http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=12546585

[drm604]

1. I so badly want this to work.

Those couple of days will be real nail biters.

Even if it's completely successful we'll stick be stuck with the results of this catastrophe.

[murray hill farm]

5. What if nothing works?

Which is certainly a possibility. What then? Will oil continue to shoot out? Until when? Until it is all out? How much oil is that? With what consequenses to the gulf..to the world?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. They keep trying until they have a successful relief well drilled.

Every effort until then are attempts to slow/stop the blowout faster than the time (3 months) it takes to drill the relief well.

[murray hill farm]

8. Hope this works!

3 months is a lot of oil pumping out! Is it a pretty sure thing to stop it with the relief well?

[Bragi]

9. We'll still choose oil over the environment

If the blowout can't be stopped, then I presume they will continuie to drill a relief well, but the Gulf will be dead, as will much of the east coast shoreline.

After that, there will be "tough" new regulations so politicians can pretend we learned our lesson. But if we don't ban ultra deep drilling, there I expect will eventually be more blowouts after this one, and the oceans will be largely killed off.

Far as I can tell, given our history so far, this is probably the most likely scenario anyway, if we don't smarten up.

And I have no confidence that we will actually smarten up because we have a full array of durable and tested global political, social, economic and media institutions designed to make sure that doesn't happen.

[jus_the_facts]

O the irony ...that's what they were doing when it exploded...

:scared:

[lark]

13. Actually they were removing the mud

if they had left it in, it's doubful we'd be in the mess we're in.

[Bragi]

2. Great, they can share the blame with BP...

So if this desperate last ditch effort fails, or if it makes matters worse, then BP will be able to say that they were acting with the support of the Coast Guard (i.e. with the approval of the Obama administration.)

I guess once a government gets compromised, it's hard to get uncompromised.

[tabatha]

3. Yep, between a ditch and a hard place

If the Coast Guard did not give permission, then they could be blamed as well.

[Melissa G]

4. CNN reports Fed approval

Had a breaking news alert in my inbox

[Lone_Star_Dem]

7. I hope it works

There's some chance they could screw up and cause the valve to open more. Increasing the flow. There's a better chance they could slow or even stop the flow.

I just hope the people in charge of this one event are extremely well trained professionals who know what they're doing.

[truthisfreedom]

10. Wait wait, don't tell me... Halliburton cement?

The same corner-cutting shit that got us into this mess?

[truthisfreedom]

11. Wait wait, don't tell me... Halliburton cement?

The same corner-cutting shit that got us into this mess?

[Duer 157099]

12. I just want to watch it, and from several angles

Seems to me the world is getting a valuable education by being able to watch those undersea webcams.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

14. why didn't they try this from day one? Was it because they didn't want to lose future....

earnings by "top killing"(permanently sealing) the well?

sounds like that to me....so this could have been done a month ago and our Gulf and marine and land life could have been saved if they would have done this,


I am so fucking angry....if that CEO of BP who was walking on the beach today, was in my presence, I would probably go jail for the beating I would inflict upon his face.

[Nihil]

16. Just how long (and how complex as task) do you think this is?

> why didn't they try this from day one?

They've been working on it since the first week (if not literally "day one").


> Was it because they didn't want to lose future....
> earnings by "top killing"(permanently sealing) the well?
> sounds like that to me....

Might sound like it to you but you'd be wrong.
Not only were they working on it but that wellhead was written off once
the submersibles got there to confirm that the BOP was U/S. All this
bullshit about "not wanting to lose money by sealing the well" is
just bullshit - not that it stops people from spouting it day in, day out.
(Not a dig at you, just those who keep pushing that failed meme.)


> so this could have been done a month ago and our Gulf and marine and
> land life could have been saved if they would have done this,

Wrong - see above.

People seem to be unable to understand that BP *KNOW* what a tragedy
has happened and that the blame being dropped on them gets bigger
every day that the oil is flowing. If they were able to wave the magic
wand that others seem to expect them to be hiding and retrieve every
single drop of crude that has gushed out of that pipe, they couldn't
sell it for a fraction of the cost that they've already incurred
(and that's before the *real* bills come in).

The thing that *should* have happened that night was the BOP operated
and crimped that pipe shut. Every second, every drop, every action
after that failure has *cost* BP and no amount of "earnings" to be
retrieved from that well could ever make up that loss so pretending
that they are somehow dragging their feet in order to "save money"
is such a blatant lie that you really should start thinking about
*who* & *why* those diversions are being spread & maintained.

(Like I said, this isn't getting at you ElsewheresDaughter but at the
people who are deliberately keeping that going.)

[Canuckistanian]

15. Oh yeah? Did the Coast Guard also approve of pumping saltwater instead of heavy mud?

Back when the oil well was supposed to have been sealed up?

And since when has the Coast Guard been the guiding safety authority for offshore oil rigs?