BP says it has begun capturing some of the oil leaking from a ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico after installing a containment cap at the site.
The US Coast Guard said the containment cap placed atop the leak, a mile beneath the surface, is now collecting about 1,000 barrels a day.
It is a sign of progress after several failed attempts by the energy company. BP has already spent over $1bn on its clean-up operation.
US officials have cautioned against being too optimistic, however, since large amounts of oil are still escaping.
BP does not expect to be able to fully halt the oil flow until August, when two relief wells are to be completed.
The amount of oil being captured should increase as BP closes vents to trap more oil, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen told reporters today.
Earlier, BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said the containment cap 'should work' by capturing upward of 90% of the oil.
However, 1,000 barrels is a small fraction of the 19,000 barrels per day that the US government has estimated could be leaking from the well.
Elsewhere, oil sheen and tar balls have washed ashore on a northwest Florida beach.
The oil debris came ashore on Pensacola Beach, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore which advertises 'the world's whitest beaches'.
Florida has been bracing this week for the forecasted arrival of the oil, which has already hit the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to the west.
The Deepwater Horizon rig sank in April after an explosion that killed 11 workers.
