30th Jun 10
Hurricane Alex slows oil spill cleanup
by Sally Davies
Hurricane Alex, currently gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico, has begun to stymie efforts by BP to clean-up the oil spill resulting from the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion last April. The UK oil giant has been unsuccessful thus far in its many attempts to contain the leaking oil, which experts have estimated is spewing as much as 100,000 barrles of oil into the Gulf each day.
Hurricane season officially began on 1 June, and weather forecasters around the world suspect that this year could rival that of 2005 in terms of potential hurricane activity, the same year in which Hurricane Katrina ravaged the US coast, particularly in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hurricane Alex, while not expected to be as cataclysmic as its some of its predecessors, has caused problems for BP as well as US government agency cleanup efforts, as it has stopped some cleanup work altogether in addition to threatening the evacuation of workers and ships in the area.
The US State Department announced that controlled burns of oil on the water’s surface, as well as the spraying of chemical dispersants and booming operations were to be temporarily put on hold due to the strong winds and approaching high waves. The announcement went on to say that it would accept offers made by 12 foreign countries and international organisations to help clean up the oil spill, including two high-speed skimmers and a fire containment boom from Japan.
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