The drama unfolding in the Gulf where thousands of barrels of oil are leaking in to the ocean has just added another chapter. BP has had to remove the cap that was restricting the flow thus allowing the open oil well to gush oil unchecked.
This comes after workers found a problem with the cap and had to remove it for repairs.
BP is under fire for their handling of the situation and continues to be called out as they are trying in vain to control the leak.
Environmental groups from around the world are openly attacking the oil company even going as far as covering themselves in oil and attending the congressional hearings taking place on the spill itself.
In a statement to the press, BP has defended its decision to remove the cap. They have said that in the interest of safety of all those concerned they removed the cap to perform the necessary repairs and hope to replace the cap as soon as possible. Sources close to the spill say that replacing the cap could mean weeks of the well running without restriction.
Officials working around the spill say that a small submersible remote controlled sub that was operating in the area is most likely the cause of the damage. They believe that the sub may have bumped into the cap during a routine inspection of the area causing the release of gas and liquids.
Once the liquids began to spill from the cap, ice crystals formed that could have caused the complete failure of the cap. It was decided that removing the cap was the safest course of action at this time.
BP still has to answer questions to Congress and other members of the Federal Government concerning their handling of the oil spill. Most believe that BP has taken little action and that action was dramatically late.
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Image courtesy dsb nola
