Oil leaks from a sunken drill pipe 5,000 ft beneath the ocean surface
BBC NEWS
Oil is leaking from a damaged well feeding a rig that sank off Louisiana on Thursday, in what US officials are calling “a very serious spill”.
The well is estimated to be leaking at a rate of about 1,000 barrels (42,000 gallons) of oil per day.
Although the US coastguard said on Friday that no leak was detected, the latest evidence suggests a spill. Bad weather has hampered efforts to fix it.
Eleven workers are still missing after an explosion and fire on Tuesday.
The Deepwater Horizon had been burning for 36 hours when it sank on Thursday in 5,000 ft (1,500m) of water, despite efforts to control the flames.
It was carrying out exploratory drilling 84km (52 miles) south-east of the Louisiana port of Venice when the blast occurred.
BP has deployed a number of ships and equipment to contain the leak by closing valves on the sunken well.
“A huge number of engineers from ourselves, working with [the government] and across the industry are putting together the best technology and know-how to solve this problem,” BP Exploration and Production Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying.
Oil sheen
The US Coastguard said it had thought it was dealing only with a surface residual oil spill from the rig.
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“In addition to that, is oil emanating from the well. It is a big change from yesterday… This is a very serious spill, absolutely, ” said Rear Adm Mary Landry.
A sheen of oil covering an area of about 20 square miles was visible on the ocean’s surface after the explosion and subsequent blaze.
In 2009, BP PLC was fined a record $87m for failing to improve safety conditions following a massive explosion that killed 15 people at its Texas City refinery.
But the US Mineral Management Services found no violations on the Deepwater Horizon rig when it carried out routine inspections in February, March and April this year.
President Barack Obama said on Thursday that the government was providing “all assistance needed” for both the rescue and clean up efforts in the troubled area.
He described the crisis on the BP-leased rig as his administration’s “number one priority”.
No cause for the blast has yet been identified.
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Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
