BP finally stems flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico

BP has finally managed to siphon oil from the leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico to an oil tanker. It took three attempts to direct a siphoning tube into the leaking pipe at a depth of 5,000ft using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).

The leak was briefly contained on Saturday night, but the pipe became dislodged and further attempts had to be made to reinsert it. It is hoped that the tube will be able to collect most of the leak, but there is still oil leaking nearby from a smaller spill site that needs to be contained.

Spill containment devices are still being used on the surface, with booms containing some of the spill to designated areas and skimming brushes being used to remove the oil-water mix. Over the weekend scientists found a huge plume of oil floating at a depth of 4,000ft under the surface which stretched for nearly 10 miles.

BP plans to increase the flow of oil through the recovery tube over the next few days, as they try to stop the estimated leak, of 5,000 barrels of oil per day, damaging the surrounding eco-system. The spill has now affected three US states, with Mississippi the latest to find oil washed up along its coastline, along with Alabama and Louisiana.