BP today released the results of its own investigation into the Deepwater Horizon accident. It determined that a series of mechanical failures, the misinterpretation of data, and other factors attributable to all of the companies working on the rig led to the explosions, fire and the deaths of 11 offshore workers.

In a news release, BP reported that crew "failed to recognise (sic) and act on" hydrocarbons that flowed up the well casing for 40 minutes. Some of the gas entered the engine rooms through the ventilation system where it might have ignited. Although the blowout preventer should have stopped the flow of hydrocarbons even after the fire began, it failed to function properly.

BP's investigative team recommended 25 actions to prevent a similar accident from occurring in the future. B... more »

After several weeks of intense study into the Deepwater Horizon accident, two industry task forces released their recommendations today.

These task forces, which have focused on subsea well design and oil spill response, are two of the four task forces formed by the oil and natural gas industry to examine deepwater drilling, identify any gaps that might exist affecting safety, seek solutions, and improve industry operations. The two other task forces delivered their reports to the government in May.

Today the Subsea task force announced 29 recommendations, including 15 immediate action items, that could be helpful in controlling the release of oil from its source. Many of the action items involved equipment changes and a new Containment Company (CC) formed to build and deploy a rapid respo... more »

The U.S. Coast Guard and BP sent oil skimming boats back to port this morning as Tropical Storm Alex gained strength and threatened to become the first Gulf hurricane of 2010.

Although it remains south of the oil spill and is heading toward the Texas-Mexico border, it could cause high waves and force BP to delay its installation of a third oil containment unit. Officials say they need a few days of calm seas to connect the new unit to the well.

On Monday, several oil company executives and API met with U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar about the deepwater drilling moratorium and other spill-related issues. As we reported yesterday, the administration is asking a federal court to keep the ban in place by delaying a lower court... more »

The first tropical storm of the season has veered away from the Gulf oil spill, allowing engineers to continue siphoning oil and gas from the leaking Macondo well.

BP reports that approximately 22,750 barrels of oil were collected or flared on Saturday.

BP also is making preparations for the installation of a floating riser containment system. The company says the system will be connected to the Helix Producer vessel and will be able to handle 20,000-25,000 barrels of oil per day, raising the daily oil and gas containment capacity to 40,000-50,000 barrels by late June or early July.

The first relief well is making steady progress toward intercepting the wellbore of the Macondo well. It has reached a depth of 16,546 feet and is using high-tech equipment to precisely locate the wellbore. Th... more »

Safety concerns have prompted engineers to remove the cap from the leaking well's blowout preventer (BOP) in the Gulf.

Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen reported today that workers aboard the drillship Discoverer Enterprise noticed gas bubbling up a line used to pump hot water to the cap to prevent the formation of methane hydrates. The cap and the riser were disengaged, according to a published report.

An initial inspection of the cap revealed that a cap vent had been closed, perhaps after it was bumped by an ROV. The cap is being examined to determine whether it has become clogged with hydrates, and it's hoped that the cap can be redeployed. In the meantime, BP reports that oil and gas are continuing to be collected through the manifold on the seabed and are being funneled to the Q4000 for fla... more »