BP Recovering 10,500 Barrels of Oil Per Day

By Edward Klump and Aaron Clark

June 6 (Bloomberg) — BP Plc said it increased the amount of oil being captured from its leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico to 10,500 barrels yesterday and expects to increase that quantity in the next few days.

The well is estimated by government scientists to be gushing 12,000 to 19,000 barrels a day into the Gulf. BP said yesterday it collected 6,077 barrels in the previous 24-hour period ending at midnight June 4. The spill is the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

A “cap” over the well is capturing “probably the vast majority” of the leaking oil, Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward told the Broadcasting Corp. today in an interview in London. BP has “a further containment system to implement this week,” he said, adding that a permanent and hurricane-proof mechanism will be in place by the end of the month.

Oil from the gushing well will remain in the water into the fall, U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said today on CBS’s “Face the Nation” broadcast.

“There will be oil out there for months to come,” Allen said. “This spill is holding everyone hostage. This is a siege. It’s going to go on for a long time.” Read more