Drilling has Begun on Relief Well to Staunch Flow from Undersea Well in Gulf of Mexico

Work has begun to drill a relief well to intercept and to isolate the deepwater oil well that is spilling oil in the US Gulf of Mexico as a result of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The new well, in 5,000 feet of water, is planned to intercept the existing well around 13,000 feet below the seabed and permanently seal it.

The new drill site is about half a mile on the seabed from the leaking well in Mississippi Canyon block 252, and drilling is estimated to take some three months. The drilling began at 15:00 CDT on Sunday 2 May. The drilling is being done by the Transocean’s ultra-deepwater semisubmersible rig Development Drill III.

BP has also carried out a second approved trial injection of dispersants directly into the oil flow at a point close to the main leak on the seabed. The technique is intended to efficiently mix the oil and dispersant, breaking up and dispersing accumulations of oil and allowing it to degrade naturally and reduce surface impact.

The suggestion for this technique came from the companies across the oil industry that BP approached last week for further ideas and expertise to help BP control the well and tackle the spill.

Two other coffer dams are under construction as part of a planned subsea oil recovery system. (Earlier post.) Weather permitting, first installation of a canopy on site is expected to start in a little over a week, allowing the process of testing and commissioning to begin.

At the seabed, BP continues to use up to eight remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to work on the blow-out preventer and subsea equipment.

Current estimates by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) suggest some 5,000 barrels (210,000 US gallons) of oil per day are escaping from the well.