On Aug. 5, BP completed cementing operations at the MC252 well. The procedure began at 9:15 a.m. CDT and was completed by 2:15 p.m. CDT, as part of the static kill plan. By filling the damaged Macondo well with cement from the top down, the company hopes to guarantee it won’t leak oil again.
The well continues to be monitored in order to confirm the effectiveness of the procedure.
Operating with the guidance and approval of the National Incident Commander and government officials, BP continues the ongoing relief well operations. Depending upon weather conditions, mid-August is the current estimate of when crews will penetrate the Macondo well from the bottom with a relief well and inject mud and cement there. It is expected to take 5-7 days to reach the outermost portion of Macondo-called the annulus-and fill it with mud and cement. If crews determine pipe-like casing are needed at the well’s center, the job could take an additional 5-7 days, according to National Incident Commander Thad Allen the Houston Chronicle reported.
On Aug. 4, after a report announcing that only a quarter of the oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico remains, NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco addressed reporters in Washington and confirmed that there is no evidence of oil accumulation on the sea floor of the Gulf.