Oil catastrophe: BP wasn’t prepared for disaster
BP’s latest attempt to restrain oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico ended up as a failure once again. The company’s CEO acknowledged that the company wasn’t prepared for a disaster. Meanwhile, the oil spill is threatening the coasts of Florida.
The oil company’s most recent attempt has failed – they couldn’t pump out the oil using the new method as once again ice-like crystals formed which caused pluggage inside the pipe. Moreover the saw – which was cutting the damaged structure – has jammed and it took 12 hours to release it. On Thursday the company has planned to cut the damaged pipe which from the oil flows and connect another one to it, though it won’t stop the leakage.
BP’s CEO, Tony Hayward told the Financial Times on Thursday: the company wasn’t prepared for a disaster like that and the critics that blames BP are right. He said that however, BP has managed to keep the pollution away from the south-east coast. „Considering the amount of oil that spilled out, only a very little reached the shores” – he added. However this statement is perhaps even more fuel to the fire and will make the already angry American public even more furious.
The latest attempt to stop oil spill can temporarily increase up to one-fifth of the quantity of oil that flows into the sea. Meanwhile, two other wells are being pierced which through the source can be blocked, but it can take up to 8 weeks till they will be completed.
America’s largest oil catastrophe began on the 20th of April, when the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded, causing 11 people’s deaths.
So far, the pollution is affected mainly the shores of Lousiana State, but now Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are also endangered. The patch is only ten kilometers away from the border of the famous Pensacola beaches.
The authorities are trying to hold back the oil using floating barriers, however at the weekend it’s likely to reach the shores. Florida will most definitely suffer from all of this, because tourism itself is a very important source of income for the state. Representatives, however, are trying to emphasize that the state is a large area, and some parts are particularly distant from the pollution.
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