Law Office of Scott A. Nelson, P.C.

Oil rig accident attorneys are happy to see that Tropical Storm Bonnie only delayed the static kill procedure by seven to nine days. Bonnie fizzled out over south Florida and did not grow to be anything but a small nuisance. As it appears now, the relief wells should be in place and the oil flow permanently ceased by early August.

The static kill procedure requires pumping concrete and heavy drilling mud into the well from the top. The relief well will eventually bore into the well approximately 2.5 miles underneath the ocean floor. It is certainly a possibility that the static kill will plug the leak on its own. The relief wells will be completed, of course, even if the static kill plugs the leak.

BP is now testing a new cap over the leaking Deepwater Horizon well to determine whether it can stop the largest and possibly most destructive oil spill and oil rig accidents in United States history. Beginning noon Central Time, a 40-foot stack of valves which was affixed on top of the well will stop the flow of oil. With a tight new cap installed on its well, BP plans various gradual tests starting to see if the cap device can stop the oil. If the pressure inside the cap stays within the target range (8000-9000 pounds per square inch) for approximately six hours after the closing of the valves, many believe the cap could then contain the oil.