After considerable pressure from the media and government agencies, BP tonight finally released a brief video showing for the first time the gushing stream of oil and gas leaking from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig into the Gulf of Mexico.
The video released by BP shows oil spewing from a broken pipe 5,000 feet (1,500m) below the surface. The stream of crude oil is interspersed with lighter-coloured natural gas.
The video was first posted on YouTube on Wednesday night by the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Centre, which said: "This video is from the larger of two existing leaks on the riser. This leak is located approximately 460 feet from the top of the blowout preventer and rests on the sea floor at a depth of about 5,000 feet."
The combined leaks are releasing an estimated 5,000 barrels of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico.
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What a disaster, it needs to be sorted ASAP!
Sickening. BP effectively take the natural reserves that belong the Earth (and everyone on it), drain it out and sell it back to us for millions of dollars in profit. They then cry when they have to clear up their own mess. Poor old Tony Hayward may have to resign with only a few million in the bank...I do feel for him.
Nevermind the billions of marine organisms they are killing and the knock-on effect for the surrounding ecosystems.
I just hope Tony negotiates a good severance package. I'd hate him to have to kick around the house with P45 and only 6 figures in his bank.
Clarkspur. Either you only use a bicycle to get around (and no other oil products - please let me know how you manage that) or you expect governments to drill for oil.....
I agree with Clarkspur. And I don't get around on a bike either. Trouble is some folks don't think beyond their own little office wall. True we all depend upon oil for the vast majority of our existence, including fertiliser for our food production. But people like BP have the cheek to brag about how much obscene profit they make whilst cutting corners with safety systems left, right and centre. So when they have a disaster like this one they immediately perform a damage limitation exercise. It has nothing to do with the oil leak. No its a profit and credibility and legislative damage limitation. They pay lip service to whoever is daft enough to listen to them whilst they hang out their sacrificial victim so that we think something will be done to prevent it happening again. Meanwhile the oil still leaks into the Gulf of Mexico destroying (not merely damaging) the entire ecosystem consisting of tens of thousands of important living organisms. An ecosystem that we depend upon globally for far more than our Caribbean Cruises.
As for government drilling for oil? Lets wait until we actually get a government first. Not some cobbled together alliance with conditions.
Longrigg
3:41PM:
The government can drill all it likes - UK oil production will still be in terminal and accelerating decline.
Same with the US.
Oil leak is 5 times greater than reported by officials
Alcohol is a perfect solution to run cars on. Only trouble is, we can make our own. I think that makes it illegal. Also, BP may be liable for the clean-up but they are not required to pay damages to affected businesses or people.
Having said all that, independant organisations have estimated that the well is gushing a million gallons a day into the gulf. BP have drilled an incredibly deep hole and has unleashed a monster that will not be tamed easily.
Peak oil is a scam and has been exposed by the unlimited supply offered by these deep wells. Russia successfully drilled over 40,000 feet, but they did it on land, not 5,000 feet below the ocean (commercial jets fly at about 30,000 feet).
The fact is, oil is produced naturally deep in the earth and is not a fossil fuel.
BP's greed may well be the death of us.
illgottengainsdotcom
really? wow. Thats news. You're onto a major secret there that the entire world is ignorant about. That kind of secret can make you rich or get you killed, but you happy to share it with only a few thousand readers of this website.
I guess it would be too much to hope for some evidence of either of those incredible claims?
Amazing how they have such sinister music even at that depth!
But really, a huge amount of energy and time has been wasted, as usual, on directing blame. It would be better if people tried co-operating. To be fair to BP, they have set up a website devoted to this issue where they are inviting comments and IDEAS from you and I about how to cap the leaks!
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/546759/
I don't know how long it'll take them to get round to realizing that the idea I submitted a couple of days ago is the way forward (gotta wait while they play with their hi-tec stuff first) but at least it's in the queue.
So, when are the BP "brains" gonna use HAY to help round up the oil as was done at the Santa Barbara spill of 1969? Better get a move on BP!!! Time's a wasting!
So how come they can get a camera down there to take a groovy video but can't sent somebody down to shut the thing off? Looks like a couple of sandbags should do the trick.
it is a truly sickening sight
@lithic
No, I can't prove it. Can you prove it is a fossil fuel? Sounds pretty far-fetched to me.
it would be better for us all to appreciate the new cost of general inflation that is coming europes way this winter
[ tory cut fuel subsidy to the elderly yesterday]
nigeria which had a commendable passive transfer of official power last week will gain from the new price i hope
without any item we can scale in this video... i am confused what 1 barrel of oil is
it must make the engineers weary knowing that every 140 hrs is of exxon valdez scale
consumer electronic profligacy cheap cars are making discoveries harder to bring in than before the damage is the double price negative of inefficiency; oil is slowly becoming technically undoable but market price promotes they drill it
A Prayer for The Gulf of Mexico and The People of Earth:
"Dear G-D, Thank YOU for Sealing the Oil Leak in The Gulf of Mexico through a Gentle but Effective, non-catastrophic, Shift in the Tectonic Plates." AMEN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(posted on the New York Times blog 5/12/10 Entry # 136)
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/08/problem-for-containment-dome-in-gulf/?sort=newest
Whatz the problem ? Think of it as environmental multiculturalism. Oil, water fish all living harmoniously.
They'll need a minisub to choke that pipe hammering or twisting a cone-shaped BOP... Dear Martino, I'm afraid that old G-D holds no good feelings for greed and will do nothing to help this time.
BP doesn't really care about the enviroment. All they care about is money $$$
Instead of plugging this killer gusher they are wasting a lot of time trying to fugure out a way to tap it and in the mean time hundreds of thousands of barrels of killer stuff is spewing into the Gulf Stream. They should be charged with mass murder.
Below is a link to a possible way to plug it. It keep it simple and quick.
http://FastFreeFileHosting.com/file/38646/BLOWOUTCAPER-gif.html
I realize this story is now several days old, but I see the BP number of 5000 barrels per day prominently quoted here with no hint of skepticism. BP apparently decided to control the story with the 5000 barrel representation, for which the media fell easily. The real numbers are anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 barrels per day. Wake up, folks: you can't rely on a transnational corporation's cover-up press releases.
I have been watching this for the last week or two as it is situated under a quay at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, the most southerly point of the Keys...
I think it is 100% definitely darker there today, I hope this is not because of the oil arriving....
http://www.floridakeyswebcams.tv/t4odt/