A new attempt to cap one of the oil leaks in the Gulf Coast will take at least another day to execute. The 100-ton containment box is currently sitting 200 feet away from the leaking pipe on the ocean floor, but ice crystals are blocking the opening that would allow the oil to flow up to a tanker on the surface. The company's first attempt at lowering the containment box took 12 hours, a procedure that had never been attempted at such depths.
Unfortunately, the company had underestimated how big the opening at the top of the box needed to be to avoid crystal formation. BP is considering steps like raising the box into warmer water or using menthol to melt the crystals. The crude oil, which had been spewing at a rate of 210,000 gallons a day, touched land yesterday for the first time, threatening wildlife and commercial fishing operations around Louisiana's barrier islands. Currently 15 boats are working to drill a more permanent relief well, but that fix could still be weeks away.
