BP Group

The Q4000 containment system continues to capture oil and gas from the MC252  well and flare the hydrocarbons safely at the surface.

The Helix Producer containment system is being commissioned to begin the  collection of additional oil and gas, prior to ramping up containment  operations.

On July 10, a total of approximately 15,200 barrels of oil were collected or  flared and 35.2 million cubic feet of gas were flared. Specifically, the LMRP  containment system connected to the Discoverer Enterprise collected 7,096  barrels of oil, and the Q4000 flared an additional 8,100 barrels of oil. With  the removal of the LMRP cap, oil recovered from the Discoverer Enterprise was  lower on July 10 and recovery from the Discoverer Enterprise has since been  discontinued.

As of July 10, the total volume of oil collected or flared by the containment  systems is approximately 749,100 barrels. Information on the volumes of oil and  gas that are collected or flared is updated twice daily on BP's website, www.bp.com

Plans also are being developed for additional containment capacity and  flexibility that will ultimately increase capacity to 60,000-80,000 barrels per  day. These projects are currently anticipated to begin operations towards the  end of July.

The sealing cap system, the Q4000 system, the flexible riser system, and the  planned additional containment systems never before have been deployed at these  depths or under these conditions, and their efficiency and ability to contain or  flare the oil and gas cannot be assured.

Work on the first relief well, which started May 2, continues. The well  reached a measured depth of 17,810 feet on July 11 and a tenth 'ranging' run was  completed. Following the running and cementing of the 9 7/8-inch casing and  further ranging runs, the relief well is intended to intercept the original well  at approximately 18,000 feet. Operations will then begin to kill the flow of oil  and gas from the reservoir by pumping specialised heavy fluids down the relief  well. The second relief well, which started May 16, is just below 16,000 feet  and preparing to cement casing. Although uncertainty still exists, the first  half of August remains the current estimate of the most likely date by which the  first relief well will be completed and kill operations performed.

Surface Spill Response and Containment Through July 10 Work continues to  collect and disperse oil that has reached the surface of the sea, to protect the  shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico, and to collect and clean up any oil that has  reached shore.

Approximately 46,000 personnel, more than 6,400 vessels and dozens of  aircraft are engaged in the response effort.

Operations to skim oil from the surface of the water collected more than  25,000 barrels of oily water on July 10. To date, these operations have  recovered, in total, approximately 720,238 barrels (30.25 million gallons) of  oily liquid. In addition, a total of 286 controlled burns have been carried out  to date, removing an estimated 238,095 barrels of oil from the sea's surface.

The total length of containment boom deployed as part of efforts to prevent  oil from reaching the coast is now more than 3.1 million feet (587.12 miles).

Additional information
As of July 10, almost 105,000 claims have  been submitted and more than 52,000 payments have been made, totalling almost  $165 million.

The cost of the response to date amounts to approximately $3.5 billion,  including the cost of the spill response, containment, relief well drilling,  grants to the Gulf states, claims paid, and federal costs. On June 16, BP  announced an agreed package of measures, including the creation of a $20 billion  fund to satisfy certain obligations arising from the oil and gas spill. It is  too early to quantify other potential costs and liabilities associated with the  incident.