BAD weather has stalled BP’s BOP removal operations in the Gulf of Mexico, further delaying the final operations to kill the well by a few days.
Retired US Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who heads the spill and clean up operations, said high seas between six and eight feet forced crews to hold work at the Mississippi Canyon 252 where a plan to remove a failed blowout preventer.
The federal government had hoped BP could begin replacing the stack as early as August 31 but Allen had repeatedly cautioned that bad weather could set back operations.
“Right now it's reasonable to look at a two- to three-day delay,” said Allen, explaining the degree of difficulty with rough seas to remove the sealing cap, as well as the damaged BOP, both of which sit on top of the well at a depth of 5,000 feet.
The final steps to kill the well, which involve flooding it with drilling mud and cement from the bottom, were previously expected to begin around September 7, after a new blowout preventer is installed.
Macondo stopped leaking oil on July 15, when BP sealed it with a capping stack; the seal was further strengthened when BP pushed oil back into the reservoir with drilling mud and cement in early August.
BP said in a statement on its website that operations will resume as soon as wave heights reach “acceptable levels.”
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