BP confirms top kill operation has failed

BP said Saturday the complex top kill maneuver to plug its Gulf of Mexico oil well has failed, crushing hopes for an end to the largest oil spill in US history already in its 40th day.So after three full days of attempting top kill, we have been unable to overcome the flow from the well, so we now believe that it's time to move on to the next of our options, which is the LMRP - lower marine riser package cap. Over the last three days, we have pumped a total of over 30,000 barrels of mud. We have made numerous attempts to overcome the flow. We have monitored the situation after each attempt. We have also used our junk shot technique, and other materials to try to divert more of the flow down the well, but we have not been able to stop the flow, said Doug Suttles, the London-based oil giant's chief operating officer. Suttles said the next course of action is called the lower marine riser package cap, one that captures oil from the well rather than plug it. Suttles said it could take four days or longer to show results. US Coast Guard Admiral Mary Landry, flanking Suttles at a daily briefing, said the news of the top kill failure was disappointing and that the best option for ending the spill was drilling a relief well which BP estimates will take two months. The top kill maneuver started on Wednesday and involved pumping heavy fluids and other material into the well shaft to stifle the flow, then seal it with cement. But it was fraught with risk because it had never been attempted at the depth of the well, a mile (1.6 km) beneath the sea. The failure was a further blow to BP's reputation and bottom line. The company has spent $940 million so far to try to plug the leak and clean up the sea and soiled marshlands vital to wildlife and fishing. The spill has been flowing since April 20, when an explosion on the BP Deepwater Horizon rig sank the drilling platform and killed 11 workers. US government scientists estimate between 12,000-19,000 barrels of oil a day have been pouring into the Gulf of Mexico, creating a disaster about twice the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill.