BP says the oil spill is now over 5000 barrels per day
The British Petroleum company controlled oil rig in the Gulf of caught fire on April 20th and resulted in the drowning of the entire rig deep into the sea bed. By then , the British Petroleum company indicated that there were three points of oil leakage in the pipe which was dug over 1000 meters into the sea bed and those would be plugged off in one or two weeks.
The company also indicated that the overall crude oil leakage is only 2000 barrels per day, which it revised upwards to 3000 barrels after two weeks. After another week, the company revised the estimates to nearly 5000 barrels per day.
Now the company is in the process of capturing part of this oil spill by inserting a small floating pipe into the hole, which in turn would be linked to a floating carrier ship on the sea.
This could at best capture 2000 to 2500 barrels of oil , say experts. Also after so much of pressure from the US senate, the company has released videos of the oil leakage, which is being interpreted by various oil and gas industry experts.
Most of them are now indicating that the oil spill could be well in excess of 5000 barrels per day, and there are no proven methods to plug the leakage. Even the cementing method which the company is planning to try out sometime next week, has been proven only in shallow waters and not under 1000 meters depth.