US government and BP officials are warning that the blown-out oil well causing an environmental disaster on the Gulf of Mexico coast may not be stopped until August as the company begins preparations on a new attempt to capture the leaking crude.
The disaster, in its 42nd day today, is already the largest oil spill in US history and officials are calling it the country's biggest environmental catastrophe.
In the wake of a devastating failure this weekend to plug the BP well with the tricky 'top kill' operation, BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward said the Gulf of Mexico leak may not be stopped for two months.
'There's no doubt that the ultimate solution lies on the relief well, which is in August,' he said yesterday as he toured the Louisiana fishing hub of Venice, largely idled by the spill.
The Gulf spill has surpassed the Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska in 1989 as the worst US oil spill, with an estimated 12,000 to 19,000 barrels leaking a day.
BP is now preparing a containment cap to place on top of a lower marine riser package, which is a piece of equipment that sits atop the failed blowout preventer at the seabed one mile below the surface.
If the containment operation works - and BP expects to know later this week - then at least some of the leaking oil could be piped to the surface.
The Gulf Coast is one of America's richest eco-systems and a vital breeding ground for a $6.5 billion seafood industry.
