Share this page
Print this page:
Add this page to:
Did plumber's sketch stem Gulf of Mexico oil leak?
19/07/10
Edited by Bob Witham. A homemade sketch from a Kansas-based plumber may have provided BP with the design for its new containment cap that appears, for now, to have finally sealed its leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.
Joe Caldart from St Francis sent his drawing to University of California petroleum engineer Dr. Robert Bea around six weeks ago, the Christian Science Monitor reports.
The expert was so impressed with the design that he forwarded it to the US Coast Guard and BP itself.
According to the publication, the new containment cap put in place last Thursday (15th July) is a "near identical match" to the one in Mr. Caldart's sketch.
Dr. Bea said the idea of attaching an internal seal on the surface of the top flange on the blowout preventer makes sense from a plumber's point of view.
"That's how they have to plumb homes for sewage," he added.
BP told the news site that it could not be sure if Mr. Caldart's design had been incorporated into the final cap.
Despite the new cap apparently stemming the flow of leaking oil from the well, the Gulf crisis may not be over as US officials have detected a possible methane leak on the seabed, which could mean oil is still seeping through.
