British energy giant BP, which owns the lion's share of the leaking oil and has accepted responsibility for the clean-up, was facing the possibility that, failing a swift fix with the containment dome, the crisis could spiral into an even worse environmental calamity The White House also was scrambling to contain fallout from the disaster threatening to take a toll on President Barack Obama's political and energy agenda. In Washington Obama on Monday would meet with Cabinet members and senior staff "to review BP efforts to stop the oil leak, as well as to decide on next steps to ensure all is being done to contain the spread, mitigate the environmental impact and provide assistance to affected states," a White House statement said. The Minerals Management Service also said it "continues to work with BP to explore all options that could stop or mitigate oil leaks from the damaged well." The BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig sank some 80 km (50 miles) southeast of Venice, Louisiana, on … [Read more...] about BP, US govt search for new fix to oil spill
Us oil spill
BP banking on ‘top-hat’ to cap US oil leak
BP battled Wednesday to cap a huge oil leak, lowering a box dubbed "a top-hat" into the Gulf of Mexico amid mounting US anger over a spill flowing unchecked into the sea for three weeks. Frustrated by the failure to staunch the leak, President Barack Obama dispatched a top team to BP's command center in Houston, Texas, to throw the administration's scientific expertise behind the British oil giant's efforts. Energy Secretary Steven Chu told reporters the "intellectual horsepower of the country is engaged in solving this problem" to stop an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil spouting daily from a sunken rig. After talks with BP, the Nobel prize-winning physicist appeared optimistic. "Things are looking up," Chu said. "Progress is being made." Interactive graphic on threat to wildlife from Louisiana oil spill… Without going into detail, Chu cautioned the situation was still not under control, but said: "I'm feeling more comfortable than I was a week ago." The latest attempt by … [Read more...] about BP banking on ‘top-hat’ to cap US oil leak
Chronology: Worst oil spills over the past 40 years
A container ship stuck on a New Zealand reef risks breaking up and releasing more oil into a pristine bay, escalating the nation's worst maritime pollution disaster, authorities said Wednesday. The Liberian-flagged Rena, which hit the Astrolabe Reef 22 kilometres (15 miles) off the North Island coast a week ago, has already leaked up to 300 tonnes of heavy fuel into the environmentally sensitive Bay of Plenty. There are concerns that the Rena, which has developed cracks in its hull, could break up and release all 1,700 tonnes of oil on board. Here are some of the world's worst oil spills over the past 40 years. - BRITAIN/FRANCE: March, 1967: The Torrey Canyon, a Liberian ship, sinks off Britain's Scilly Isles and spills almost 120,000 tonnes of crude oil into the sea, creating a slick that reaches the coast of France. - FRANCE: March, 1978: The Liberian supertanker Amoco Cadiz sinks off the western tip of Brittany, France, dumping 230,000 tonnes of crude oil and polluting 400 … [Read more...] about Chronology: Worst oil spills over the past 40 years
Obama forms commission to probe oil spill
An independent presidential commission has been set up to probe the huge oil spill from a wrecked BP-leased rig in the Gulf of Mexico, US President Barack Obama said Saturday. The main task of the bipartisan body, formed by an executive order, is to provide recommendations on how the oil industry can prevent -- and mitigate the impact of -- any future spills that result from offshore drilling. "Now, this catastrophe is unprecedented in its nature, and it presents a host of new challenges we are working to address," Obama said in his weekly radio address as he announced the formation of the commission. "But the question is what lessons we can learn from this disaster to make sure it never happens again." Two-term Florida governor and former senator Bob Graham, a Democrat, and former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency William Reilly, a Republican, will serve as co-chairmen of the seven-member body, Obama said. "I can't think of two people who will bring greater … [Read more...] about Obama forms commission to probe oil spill
Quick action to find missing sailors, clean up oil spill
The chairman of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province People's Committee, Tran Minh Sanh, held an emergency meeting on June 18 to discuss cleaning up the oil spill and searching for three missing crew from the Nhat Thuan which sank at sea the previous day. Officials from PetroVietnam, the Zone 3 Search and Rescue Center, National Response Center, the provincial military, Marine Brigade No.171, and other agencies, who attended the meeting, were hopeful since oil stored in the hold did not spill out, the weather was good for a clean-up, and the sea was shallow in the area. The spill can be cleaned soon, they said, adding only fuel from the vessel's engines had spilled. Mr.Sanh called for carrying out an urgent search to find the three missing crew. He also urged the HCMC-based Binh Thuan Transport Co., the ship's owner, and Sao Mai Co. to clean up the spilled and quickly salvage the vessel. Oil joint venture Vietsopetro will finance the entire operation. The 1,800-ton vessel, which was … [Read more...] about Quick action to find missing sailors, clean up oil spill