By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, July 28 -- BP PLC has removed a storm packer that crews placed in the first relief well aimed at intercepting the Macondo runaway well, and federal officials noted that July 28 marked 100 days since the deepwater blowout on Mississippi Canyon Block 252 in the Gulf of Mexico.
The storm packer was installed July 21 before Transocean Ltd.’s Development Driller III was evacuated in advance of Tropical Storm Bonnie, which later was downgraded to tropical depression status. The storm packer is a plug that was set 300 ft below the DDIII’s blowout preventer.
National Incident Commander and retired US Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said DDIII crews are preparing to run casing. Once the casing is in place, BP plans to attempt to kill the well from the top first using a static kill. Ultimately, the relief well will be used to kill the well from the bottom.
The Macondo well remains shut in, and pressure readings inside a sealing cap at the top of the well showed a reading of 6,942 psi, Allen said.
An Apr. 20 blowout of the well operated by BP resulted in an explosion and fire on Transocean’s Deepwater Horizon semisubmersible, killing 11 people and resulting in a massive oil spill. Macondo is in 5,000 ft of water.
US Government Accountability Office.
