Adm. Thad W. Allen of the Coast Guard, who is commanding the federal response to the disaster, said some oil had been collected in the cap and was beginning to funnel up to the surface. But he noted that a great deal of oil was still escaping, by design, through vents in the cap that were intended to let oil out in order to keep cold Gulf water from rushing in and forming icy hydrates that could block the flow of oil to the surface.
So it will not be clear if the cap is sealed tightly enough to prevent large amounts of oil from continuing to pour into the Gulf until those vents are closed, Admiral Allen said. He said that current plans call for closing those vents on Friday.
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So it will not be clear if the cap is sealed tightly enough to prevent large amounts of oil from continuing to pour into the Gulf until those vents are closed, Admiral Allen said. He said that current plans call for closing those vents on Friday.
- bill 6-04-2010 6:50 pm