BP caught in the sludge of potentially worst oil disaster in US history

The 13-day old British Petroleum (BP) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon  rig is potentially becoming the worst offshore environment disaster ever and is likely to eclipse the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989, which till now was considered the worst oil disaster in US history.

The spill occurred after an explosion followed by fire on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, owned by Transocean Ltd. operated by BP, which killed 11 workers.
The rig capsized and sank two days later, and the oil began to seep into coastal waters, threatening beaches, marshes, marine mammals, fishing grounds and recreational activities among others.

Engineers of the London-based BP have since been working around the clock trying to figure out how to stop approximately 200,000 gallons of oil gushing out each day 5,000 feet below on the ocean floor beyond the reach of divers.

The gush of oil will continue until the company is able to activate the blow-out preventer or it comes up with another method to stop oil spewing, which will soon overtake the Exxon Valdez tanker spill of 1989 that spilled 11 million gallons off the Alaska coast to become the worst oil disaster in US history.

BP said that it is continuing with its efforts to stem the flow of oil from the well, currently estimated at up to 200,000 gallons a day, by using six remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) in an attempt to activate the blow out preventer on the sea bed.

BP has already deployed 180,000 feet of boom already in the water, an additional 300,000 feet is in the process of being deployed, with more on the way to protect and clean the shorelines of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.