Oil slick "the size of Hong Kong" at Gulf of Mexico well: 42,000 gallons a day spilling into Gulf

[Bluebear]

“Right now we don’t have anyone on scene actively engaged (in spill mitigation) due to the weather."

An oil slick covering 400sq miles is threatening a slow-motion catastrophe for the Gulf of Mexico’s delicate marine life, with 42,000 gallons (160,000 litres) a day now gushing from an uncapped well after a rig explosion.

Two days after declaring that there was no leak and that oil on the surface was residue from on board the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform that burst into a fireball on Tuesday, officials revealed that the slick was coming from the seabed and was now 25 times the size it was on Friday.

“It’s 1,000 barrels emanating from 5,000ft below the surface,” said Rear-Admiral Mary Landry, of the US Coast Guard, who is overseeing the emergency response. “Absolutely, this is a very serious oil spill.”

BP, which leased the rig, said last week that it was doing everything in its power to contain the spill and resolve the situation “as rapidly, safely and effectively as possible”, using underwater robots, 700 personnel, five aircraft, 32 vessels, and nearly 200 miles of floating booms...

Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas have been warned of the threat of the slick coming ashore...

The spill comes at a sensitive time, with President Obama moving last month to allow oil drilling closer to shore.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article7107956.ece