BP’s well appears to be gushing at a higher rate
The containment cap BP had placed over its blown-out well was removed by an undersea robot vehicle, and the oil company was working to place it again.
U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, incident commander for the Deepwater Horizon disaster, said BP feared methane hydrates were coming through the pipe leading from the cap to surface vessels, and the cap was removed out of “an abundance of caution.”
BP also found that one of the vents of the cap had been closed, possibly due to a bump from one of the remotely operated vehicles hovering around the well.
The cap, or LMRP, was installed June 5, and added equipment was attached June 16, according to BP statements.
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