“We’re not seeing any problems, at this point, any issues with the shut-in,” David Suttles told The Washington Post, who is BP’s chief operating officer, referring to the closure of the well. “We’re determined to leave the well shut.”
The comments alter the strategy proposed by Coast Guard Admiral Thad W. Allen, who said the well will eventually be re-opened to connect pipes that would siphon the leak up toward ships on the surface.
“No one wants to see oil flowing back into the sea, and to initiate containment would require that to occur,” said Mr. Suttles. “Unfortunately, we would first have to open the flow back up into the Gulf of Mexico.”
The one benefit from re-opening the well: a concrete measurement or “flow rate” could help determine BP’s liability for the spill.
“We’re just taking this day-by-day,” said Mr. Suttles. “And it could be that we’re taking it day-by-day all the way to the point we get to the well killed.”
