First Good News Emerges from BP's Gulf Oil Spill

A siphon has successfully been repaired, CNN reports.

GULF OF MEXICO -Video acquired by a remotely operated vehicle is monitored and recorded onboard the motor vessel Viking Poseidon. The video display shows a small pollution containment chamber, known as the "top hat," being lowered into the Gulf of Mexico by the motor vessel Viking Poseidon May 11, 2010.

(VENICE, Louisiana) - The first good news to come out of the BP oil spill was reported by CNN today: the tube end has been reinserted successfully into the damaged oil pipe that lies almost a mile under water, below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.

According to CNN, this means that a portion of the leaking oil is now being pulled to the surface, where it is being captured by a drill ship. In the process, natural gas that was released is being burned off. This, according to a statement from the joint BP-Coast Guard command center leading the response to the oil spill.

Deepwater Horizon Response stated:

"Overnight the Riser Insertion Tube Tool was successfully tested and inserted into the leaking riser, capturing some amounts of oil and gas. The oil was stored on board the Discoverer Enterprise drill ship 5,000 feet above on the water's surface, and natural gas was burned through a flare system on board the ship.

"The test was halted temporarily when the tube was dislodged. While this is disappointing, it is not unexpected given the challenging operating environment.

"Technicians have fully inspected the system and have re-inserted the tool.

"The tool is fashioned from a 4-inch pipe and is inserted into the leaking riser, from which the majority of the flow is coming. While not collecting all of the leaking oil, this tool is an important step in reducing the amount of oil being released into Gulf waters.

"The procedure - never attempted before at such depths - involves inserting a 5-foot length of the specifically-designed tool into the end of the existing, damaged riser from where the oil and gas is leaking. In a procedure approved by federal agencies and the Federal On Scene Coordinator, methanol will also be flowed into the riser to help prevent the formation of gas crystals, known as hydrates. Gas and oil will then flow to the surface to the Discoverer Enterprise drillship.

"The Enterprise has the capability to separate the oil, gas and water mixture safely and eventually store or offload the recovered oil onto another vessel."

The siphon is created with a 4-inch pipe that is inserted into the riser of the damaged well, at the center of the leak. The oil is then fed up to the ship on the surface, which again, is nearly 5,000 feet above the sea floor. CNN reports that if this is successful, the technique will be used ti capture the majority of the oil escaping from of the well, that began with the sinking of the drill platform Deepwater Horizon in late April.

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Sources:

Cable News Network

Deep Water Horizon Response.

U.S. Coast Guard Command Center