Earth Protect Blog

BP has confirmed a new sealing cap has been successfully placed over the oil well in the Gulf of Mexico but as oil continues to pour into the ocean it says the relief wells remain the sole means to permanently seal and isolate the well. BP also cautioned the sealing cap system has never before has been deployed at these depths or under these conditions, and its efficiency and ability to contain the oil and gas cannot be assured.

The containment cap is still open, meaning oil is still spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, but BP said the Helix Producer containment system has resumed operations to capture some of the escaping oil.
The Q4000 containment system also continues to capture oil and gas from the MC252 well and flare the hydrocarbons safely at the surface.
BP said Relief well operations continue throughout this period and remain the sole means to permanently seal and isolate the well.
BP will perform a "Well Integrity Test" on Tuesday morning which involves closing one or more of the valves on the new cap for a period of time to allow it to measure pressures in the well.
National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen said the measurements will provide valuable information about the condition of the well below the sea level and help determine whether or not it is possible to shut the well for a period of time, such as during a hurricane or bad weather, between now and when the relief wells are complete.
The integrity tests on the new cap are expected to last anywhere from 6-48 hours or more depending on the measurements that are observed.

http://www.newsroomamerica.com/story/33218/update:_bp_confirms_containment_cap_placed_over_oil_spill.html