BP Moves Closer to ‘Top Kill’ of Leaking Oil Well

May 20, 2010: BP took steps toward attempting to cap its leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday as it increased the amount of crude it’s capturing and thick oil began to appear in Louisiana’s wetlands.

BP will try as early as May 23 to inject heavy drilling fluids and cement into the well to seal it, a tactic known as “top kill,” Doug Suttles, chief operating officer of exploration and production for the company, said on a conference call with reporters yesterday.

“Let’s all keep our fingers crossed, let’s all say our prayers,” U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Mary Landry, the federal government’s coordinator with BP, said at the press conference. “Everybody’s anxious to see success with this intervention.”

The company has improved its ability to divert oil from the leaking well via a mile-long pipeline to a drillship, Suttles said. BP, based in London, is capturing about 3,000 barrels of oil a day, up from about 2,000 on May 18.