New Gulf Containment Vessel Partly Linked to Well
Saiward Pharr, WRKF; AP; LRN
July 7, 2010
Baton Rouge, LA
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flickr.com/tidewatermuse Ret. Coast Guard Adm.
Thad Allen pictured here on
June 18, 2006
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A new containment vessel is partially linked to the gushing well head in the Gulf of Mexico. Officials say they'll know soon if it's properly connected.Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen didn't indicate Tuesday how soon the Helix Producer could begin moving oil. He says once oil does begin flowing officials will re-evaluate how much is actually coming out of the seafloor, "The question is do we want to wait and look at the production capability of the Helix Producer before we go into the next step, which would require us to remove the current containment cap."
The 528-foot Helix Producer vessel can collect up to 25,000 barrels of oil a day. That would double the amount being collected, then burned or transferred to other tankers.
