The US coastguard says BP has managed to cap one of three leaks from its stricken deepwater oil well, but the work is not expected to reduce the overall flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
The work should reduce the number of leak points that need to be fixed on the ocean floor, making it easier to drop a containment dome to bottle up the disastrous oil spill threatening sealife and livelihoods along the Gulf Coast.
Since an explosion on 20 April, 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana, the Deepwater Horizon well has been spewing at least 800,000 litres a day.
Experts say the best short-term solution is to drop a specially built giant concrete-and-steel box designed to siphon the oil away over the breach.
Crews for Wild Well Control, a contractor, are putting the finishing touches on the 100-ton containment dome, which is expected to be taken to the leak site today. John Curry, a BP spokesman, said it would be deployed on the seabed by tomorrow.
It's the latest attempt by BP engineers to stem the oil from the rig, which killed 11 workers when it exploded. It sank two days later, and oil started pouring into the Gulf. BP is in charge of the cleanup and President Barack Obama says the company is responsible for the costs.
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