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BP delays tests on new oil cap
BP has delayed tests on a new cap on its blown-out oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.
The energy giant is postponing the test to establish whether the well can withstand the pressure caused by closing the cap on top of the ruptured wellhead.
“We decided that the process may benefit from additional analysis that will be performed tonight and tomorrow,” retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who is overseeing the US response to the spill, said in a statement.
The test, due to last between six and 48 hours on BP’s newly installed “capping stack,” which has a better seal than the last cap placed on the well and aims to stop oil from spewing out of the failed blowout preventer.