Fresh fears have emerged that oil maybe seeping from the ocean floor near the Gulf of Mexico oil well. Thad Allen, an US official in charge of the clean-up at the stricken well, said that methane was leaking from the seabed, meaning oil may also be a problem.
If his fears are found to be true, Allen will order BP to reopen the recently capped well to allow the leaking oil to be funnelled to the surface once again. The oil company has, however, said it will take at least three days to start this process. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of barrels of oil could resume their leakage into the ocean since being stopped last Thursday.
Oil began leaking into the waters around the Gulf after BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers. The company had hoped the cap would plug the colossal leak before a relief well is bought in as a permanent solution.
“Given the current observations… including the detected seep a distance from the well and undetermined anomalies at the well head, monitoring of the seabed is of paramount importance”…said Allen in a letter to BP chief Bod Dudley.
The letter went on to read: “I direct you to provide me a written procedure for opening the choke valve as quickly as possible without damaging the well should hydrocarbon seepage near the wellhead be confirmed.”
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