Skimming of oil spill resumes in gulf

Skimming of spilled crude resumed in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday after the first hurricane of the Atlantic season forced the Coast Guard and BP to halt cleanup efforts for two days.

Rough seas and high winds from Hurricane Alex brought all surface skimming, controlled burns of oil patches on the water and spraying of chemical dispersants to a standstill. On Friday, skimmers were back at work along the shoreline and the Coast Guard was able to make a helicopter surveillance flight to assess the impact from the storm.

The spill began April 20, when BP's Macondo well blew out in mile-deep water, destroying the Deepwater Horizon Drilling rig and killing 11 workers.

As the cleanup resumed Friday, BP and government officials were trying to decide whether to replace the lower marine riser package cap that has been collecting oil from the well since June 3 with a cap that might collect more, but also would increase flow into the gulf during installation.

Officials probably will make that decision at the end of next week, after a new vessel is in place to double the rate of oil collection, retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who is heading the government's response to the spill, said Friday.

Replacing the cap could boost collection capacity further, from 53,000 to 80,000 barrels per day, Allen said. But it would unleash torrents of oil for as long as it takes to remove a stub of riser pipe at the wellhead and to bolt another cap on top, he said.

The Discoverer Enterprise, which is connected directly to that riser, would be unable to catch any crude during the recapping process.

But two other vessels capturing oil -the Helix Producer and the Q4000 - would keep working.

"So it wouldn't be a complete, unmitigated release," Allen said. "But all of this is being weighed very, very carefully."

Replacing the cap is the latest in a string of proposals to capture more of the oil from a gusher that scientists say is spewing 35,000 to 60,000 barrels a day.

Before this week's hurricane, about 20,000 barrels of oil were being skimmed or burned off daily, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft said in a briefing.

To date, 28.2 million gallons of oily water has been skimmed from the Gulf surface.


The Coast Guard said the U.S. Navy will provide 25 additional skimmers and 35 tow

boats to help in the effort.

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The Deepwater Horizon Unified Command plans to increase the number of skimmers available to a target of 750 by mid-July and more by the beginning of August.



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