Admiral Allen Directs BP To Complete Relief Well

by Miles Wolf Tamboli - The Talk Radio News Service

On Friday National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen issued a directive to BP’s incoming Chief Executive Officer, Bob Dudley, authorizing the corporation to move ahead with efforts to complete the relief well that shows promise of putting a final close on the failed deepwater Macondo well, which was responsible for the months-long oil leak that has put petroleum conglomerate BP in the hot seat since the drilling rig exploded in April.

In the directive, Admiral Allen outlined a number of steps to be executed on the well:

1) Evaluate the status of the well’s casing hammer,

2) Secure the hammer with a locking room, assuming the hangar is in nominal position,

3) Commence completion of drilling by Development Driller III to intercept the Macondo well,

4) Conduct any “supporting activities … that are consistent with the relief well intercept,”

5) Develop and implement procedures that will allow for injection of mud and cement into the well’s annulus (space between the well casing and the earth),

6) Consult the Government Scientific Technical Team if the casing hangar is not in a position allowing for installation of a locking ring.

Although only negligible amounts of oil have leaked into the Gulf since a capping stack was installed on top of the crippled blowout preventer in mid July, Allen has repeatedly stated that, “the relief well remains the ultimate step in stopping the BP oil leak for good.”