ROBERT, La.–(ENEWSPF)–May 1, 2010. The unified command continues with a comprehensive oil-well intervention and spill-response plan following the April 22 sinking of the Transocean Deepwater Horizon drilling rig 130 miles southeast of New Orleans. Nearly 2,000 personnel are involved in the response effort with additional resources being mobilized as needed. The federal government has been fully engaged in the response since the incident occurred April 20.
The Minerals Management Service remains in contact with all oil and gas operators in the sheen area. Two platforms have stopped production and one has been evacuated as a safety measure. Approximately 6.2 million cubic feet of natural gas is shut-in. This is less than one-tenth of a percent of daily gas production in the Gulf of Mexico.
Response crews worked through the night using a ROV to dispense 3,000 gallons of sub-surface dispersant at a rate of nine gallons per minute. BP and NOAA are evaluating the results of the test procedure to determine its feasability for continued use.
Oil Report Line/Volunteer Line – (866)-448-5816
Rapid response teams are staged to deploy to shorlines affected by oil to evaluate and determine an appropriate clean-up effort to minimize the impact to the environment.
BP has established a volunteer program and set up a toll-free number for people to call. When calling, people should communicate what they are volunteering for what areas they are available to work in. In addition, people can call to learn about the training that is required to work in oil spill clean-up operations.
More than 275,580 feet of boom (barrier) has been assigned to contain the spill. An additional 316,470 feet is available.
To date, the oil spill response team has recovered 23,968 barrels (1,006,656 gallons) of an oil-water mix.
68 response vessels are being used including skimmers, tugs, barges and recovery vessels.
142,914 gallons of dispersant have been deployed and an additional 68,300 gallons are available.
Six staging areas are in place and ready to protect sensitive shorelines. These areas include:
Biloxi, Miss., Pensacola, Fla. Venice, La., Pascagoula, Miss., Theodore, Ala., and Port Sulphur, La.
Weather conditions for May 1 – Winds from the southeast at 20 – 25 knots, 6 – 8 foot seas with chance of afternoon showers.
126 people were on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig when the incident occurred. 11 remain unaccounted for; 17 were injured, 3 of them critically. 1 injured person remains in the hospital.
For the latest information visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Oil_Spill_2010 or on Facebook at Deepwater Horizon Response.
Source: deepwaterhorizonresponse.com
