BP well seal cements leak
BP HAS finally killed the leaking Macondo well, effectively ending the five-month Gulf of Mexico ordeal, which has already cost the company $9.6bn (£6.14bn).
The oil major confirmed last night that its efforts to plug the leak were completed after pumping cement into the well.
April’s explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig killed 11 people, spilled more than four million barrels of oil into the Gulf’s waters and led to the worst environmental disaster in US history.
“This is a significant milestone in the response to the Deepwater Horizon tragedy and is the final step in a complex and unprecedented subsea operation,” said outgoing chief executive Tony Hayward.
Admiral Thad Allen, who is overseeing the government’s response to the oil spill, confirmed the kill and called the well “effectively dead”.
US President Barack Obama called the move an “important milestone” and said his administration was now focusing on ensuring the Gulf coast “recovers fully from the disaster”.
Hayward said that BP is still committed to “restoring the damage done to the Gulf coast and the livelihoods of the people across the region”.