Gulf rig worker survey showed safety concerns

Natural gas is burned off a support vessel above the source of Deepwater

Horizon oil spill where BP will begin testing a new cap placed over the

leak in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast July 13, 2010

Workers on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico expressed concern about safety practices a month before the oil rig exploded and sunk, according to a survey conducted by its owner, Transocean Ltd.

But a summary of the report provided by TransoceanRIGN.S (RIG.N) concluded that overall safety management on the rig was "relatively strong," and workers viewed management on vessel in a very positive light.

The safety concerns were first reported in the New York Times, which cited comments in the full survey by workers saying they "often saw unsafe behaviors on the rig" but feared reprisals if they reported mistakes or other problems.

A spokesman for the company said the Times report had taken the criticisms out of context, and had mischaracterized the overall safety culture on the rig.

"Framing this survey solely in a negatively light directly contradicts the inspectors' clearly stated findings," the spokesman, Lou Colasuonno, said in an email.

The Deepwater Horizon rig, leased by BP Plc(BP.N) (BP.N), exploded April 20, killing 11 workers and triggering an unprecedented environmental disaster as oil spilled unchecked from the Gulf sea bed for nearly three months.

BP capped the blown-out well last week, choking off the flow of oil for the first time since the explosion. The company is conducting pressure tests to ensure the seal can hold.

The report's summary said workers aboard the rig felt confident they could approach rig supervisors with their concerns, but that this "was restricted to issues that could be resolved directly on the rig, and that they had little influence at divisional or corporate levels."

"I'm petrified of dropping anything from heights, not because I'm afraid of hurting anyone (the area is barriered off), but because I'm afraid of getting fired," one worker wrote in the survey, according to the Times.

"The company is always using fear tactics," the Times quoted another as saying.

"All these games and your mind gets tired."

The report summary also showed that one third of the workers on the rig believed the 2007 merger of Transocean and its rival Global Sante Fe had negatively affected safety.

Fewer than half the workers surveyed said they felt they could report without reprisal actions leading to a potentially risky situation, such as workers forgetting to do something, damaging equipment or dropping an object from a height.

The summary by Lloyd's said that statistic seemed to contradict the reviewers' appraisal of trust on the rig.

"However, it must be noted that a significant proportion of this is likely to be associated with dropped objects incidents and near-hits, which would align with the reviewers' findings" of the overall safety culture," the report summary said.

Source : Reuters

Other stories :
Oil Rig Alarm Was Not Fully Turned On, Worker Says
Technician: Deepwater Horizon warning system disabled

Storm Threat in Gulf Halts Most Work at Oil Spill Site

By HENRY FOUNTAIN

Most work was halted at the site of BP’s blown oil well in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, as a newly formed tropical depression threatened to delay for a week or more the effort to seal off the gusher permanently using a relief well.

BP was awaiting word from the federal leader of the spill response about whether drill rigs, support ships and other vessels would have to evacuate the area, a company spokesman said on Thursday morning.

The relief well has been temporarily plugged because of the weather worries, the company said on Wednesday. With about two days of work still needed to install and cement a last section of steel casing pipe in the relief well, BP did not want to start the casing work and then have to stop it if evacuation was necessary, so it put the work off until the storm passes. Once the casing is in place, a final week’s worth of drilling would be needed to intercept the bad well.

The National Weather Service said on Thursday that the tropical depression, the third so far in what is expected to be a busy hurricane season, had formed in the Bahamas. Its track was expected to run to the northwest into the Gulf of Mexico. It would not reach the Gulf for several days yet, the weather service estimated. But when it does, depending on its path and how much it intensifies, some or all of the ships and rigs at the well site could be forced to leave for safer water.

No decision has been made yet on whether to attempt another well-sealing procedure, called a static kill, in which heavy drilling mud would be pumped into the well in an effort to permanently stop the flow of oil and gas. That procedure, if approved by a government technical team, would only begin after the final casing was installed in the relief well, to reduce the risk of damage to the relief well if something went wrong.

The leader of the response effort, Thad W. Allen, a retired Coast Guard admiral, said if the forecast at the well site was for a severe storm, “we could be looking at 10 to 14 days” when no work could be done on the relief well. Containment projects and other work would have to be suspended as well.Before the tropical depression formed, the relief well was expected to intercept the bad well at the end of July. If the static kill is successful, the only need for the relief well may be to confirm that the well is permanently sealed. If the results from the static kill are ambiguous, though, it would then take at least several days, and perhaps several weeks, to permanently shut the flow from the bad well by pumping mud down the relief well.

Admiral Allen said no decision had been made yet about whether the bad well, which is now capped as part of a test to see whether it can hold pressure, would be left in that condition. After gushing for nearly three months following an explosion and fire that sank a drilling rig, the well has not leaked any oil since last Thursday, when valves on a cap atop it were closed to start the pressure test. If officials decide that it is too risky to leave the well under pressure during a storm, the valves would be reopened and oil would once again spew into the gulf.

Admiral Allen said it was possible that the well would be left shut during a storm but would be closely monitored by remotely operated submersibles for as long as possible. The submersibles, and their relatively fast-moving support ships, would probably be away from the site for only three or four days, he said.

Kent Wells, a BP senior vice president, said on Wednesday that the pressure tests continued to show favorable results. “We have no evidence the well does not have integrity,” he said. “Every day we go longer gives us more confidence.”

Clifford Krauss contributed reporting.

Source : The New York Times

Other news :
BP monitoring storm, spill operations continuing
BP oil spill repairs face further delay with tropical storm warning

Confidence in Oil Well Cap Growing; End Near?

With confidence in the cap that is currently sealing the ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico on the rise, BP and representatives of the federal government are moving forward with plans to permanently halt the flow of oil that has caused one of the largest natural disasters in U.S. history.

Early Wednesday morning, AFP reporter Alex Ogle stated that officials at the petroleum company were "gaining confidence" in the cap, but that the seal was still under evaluation.

"We're just going to continue on with the tests. And every day that we continue on with the tests, that gives us more confidence when we don't see any anomalies," BP vice president Kent Wells told reporters during a Tuesday press briefing.

"We continue to be pleased with the progress," added retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who is heading up the government's response to the spill, according to Associated Press (AP) reports. Allen also noted that a relief tunnel is expected to reach the well by the weekend, which according to the AP means that "the three-month-old gusher could be snuffed for good within two weeks."

Ogle notes that the apparent success of the tunnel does not mean that relief workers have ruled out the possibility of a "static kill"--the use of materials to seal off the flow sooner.

Coast Guard Cutter Walnut, a 225-foot sea-going buoy tender based in Honolulu, skims oil

July 16 near the BP oil spill site with the help of a barge and a tugboat. The Walnut has

been skimming since it arrived in the Gulf after transiting the Panama Canal.

"The relief well is exactly where we want it, pointed in the right direction. So we're feeling good about that," Wells said. "The intercept of the Macondo well is still for the end of July and then the kill procedure, dependent upon whether we have flow up the annulus casing or both, could take anywhere from a number of days to a few weeks."

Meanwhile, environmentalists and those involved in the clean-up of past oil spills have publicly started criticizing some of the methods used in the Gulf recovery effort, according to a Wednesday article by the AP's Cain Burdeau. Burdeau reports that more than 5,000 vessels have been participating in the clean-up, making it "the largest fleet assembled since the Allied invasion of Normandy."

"Hordes of helicopters, bulldozers, Army trucks, ATVs, barges, dredges, airboats, workboats, cleanup crews, media, scientists and volunteers have descended on the beaches, blue waters and golden marshes of the Gulf Coast," Burdeau adds. "That's a lot of propellers, anchors, tires, and feet for a fragile ecosystem to take, and a tough truth is emerging: In many places, the oil cleanup itself is causing environmental damage."

In addition to the machinery, the use of the chemical dispersant Corexit early in the process has drawn criticism, since marine biology experts are unsure that the product is safe for aquatic life. As Greenpeace USA oceans campaign director John Hocevar told Burdeau, "Basically, we conducted uncontrolled experiments in the open ocean--that does not seem like a good idea to me."

Likewise, critics have blasted Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's decision to build sand islands and other barriers along the Gulf coast. While said barriers were designed to block oil from washing up onto the coast, they also are said to interfere with the migration of shrimp and fish. As former coastal restoration advisor Leonard Bahr told the AP, "None of the coastal scientists have signed onto this thing."

Source : Red Orbit

Toyota & Tesla akan memperkenalkan Elektrik RAV4 ke pasaran pada 2012

Tesla Motors and Toyota Motor Corporation Formalize Agreement to Develop Electric Version of RAV4

Palo Alto, California, U.S.A., and Tokyo, Japan - TESLA MOTORS, INC.

(Tesla) and TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) today announced that the two companies have signed an agreement to initiate the development of an electric version of the RAV4 as announced in May of this year by Elon Musk and Akio Toyoda. With an aim to market the EV in the United States in 2012, prototypes will be made combining the Toyota RAV4 model with a Tesla electric powertrain. Tesla plans to produce and deliver a fleet of prototypes to Toyota for evaluation within this year. The first prototype has already been built and is now undergoing testing.

In May, Tesla and TMC announced their intent to cooperate on the development of electric vehicles, parts, and production system and engineering support. Tesla seeks to learn and benefit from Toyota's engineering, manufacturing, and production expertise, while Toyota aims to learn from Tesla's EV technology, daring spirit, quick decision-making, and flexibility.

TMC has, since its foundation in 1937, operated under the philosophy of "contributing to society through the manufacture of automobiles," and made cars that satisfy its many customers around the world. TMC introduced the first-generation Prius hybrid vehicle in 1997. The company also plans to introduce EVs into the market by 2012.

Tesla's goal is to produce increasingly affordable electric cars for mainstream buyers – relentlessly driving down the cost of EVs. California-based Tesla designs and manufactures EVs and EV powertrain components, and is currently the only automaker in the U.S. that builds and sells highway-capable EVs in serial production.

Official: 'Severe threat' to water, sea life as China oil spill grows

BEIJING (AP) - China's largest oil spill has spread to 430 square kilometers (166 square miles) hundreds of clean up workers struggle to cope.

The official news agency Xinhua says 40 oil-skimming boats and about 800 fishing boats are being used to clean up the spill, and a 15 kilometers (9 miles) oil barrier has been set up to try to stop the slick spreading.

Huang Yong, deputy bureau chief for Dalian, China Maritime Safety Administration, told Dragon TV on Wednesday, "The oil spill will pose a severe threat to marine animals, and water quality, and the sea birds."

The oil slick started spreading five days ago when a pipeline at a busy northeastern port exploded.

China Central Television earlier reported an estimate of 1,500 tons of oil has spilled.


- AP

Firefighter rushes to aid his colleague who
In this photo released by Greenpeace, a firefighter rushes to aid his colleague who ran into trouble amid thick oil cover as they attempted to fix an underwater pump in Dalian, China on Tuesday, July 20, 2010. Crude oil started pouring into the Yellow Sea off a busy northeastern port after a pipeline exploded late last week, sparking a massive 15-hour fire. The government says the slick has spread across a 70-square-mile (180-square-kilometer) stretch of ocean

Oil covered hand of firefighter
In this photo released by Greenpeace, the oil covered hand of a firefighter who was overwhelmed by the thick oil spill while attempting to fix an underwater pump is seen after he is pulled ashore by his colleagues in Dalian, China on Tuesday, July 20, 2010. Crude oil started pouring into the Yellow Sea off a busy northeastern port after a pipeline exploded late last week, sparking a massive 15-hour fire. The government says the slick has spread across a 70-square-mile (180-square-kilometer) stretch of ocean.

oil washed ashore near the port of Dalian, China on Tuesday, July 20, 2010. Crude oil started pouringinto the Yellow Sea off a busy northeastern port after a pipeline exploded late last week, sparking a massive 15-hour fire. The government says the slick has spread across a 70-square-mile (180-square-kilometer) stretch of ocean

BP admits altering oil spill response centre image

Oil firm BP has admitted posting an altered image of its Gulf of Mexico oil spill response centre on its website.

The picture, posted over the weekend, shows workers in front of a bank of big screens displaying images of its damaged well on the sea floor.

BP spokesman Scott Dean said that three screens were blank in the original photo and Photoshop software had been used to add images.

The altered image was replaced with the original after a US blogger spotted it.
Mr Dean said the photographer who took the photo was displaying his skills with Photoshop software and there was no ill intent.

"Normally we only use Photoshop for the typical purposes of colour correction and cropping," the Washington Post quoted Mr Dean as saying.

"We've instructed our post-production team to refrain from doing this in the future."

Blogger John Aravosis drew attention to the altered image in his Americablog.com.

He said: "I guess if you're doing fake crisis response, you might as well fake a photo of the crisis response centre."

Three of these screens were blank in the unaltered photo

He pointed out that the altered image contains jagged crops around one of the worker's heads and that the images of the well inserted into the blank screens do not properly fit the space.

This is the original photo

A cap placed on the leaking well last week has stopped oil gushing from it for the first time since an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on 20 April caused the disaster.

Source : BBC News

Other News :
BP statement on two altered images - original and altered images provided
BP Sparring With Partners on Well Costs

China finds 'world scale' oilfield

China's biggest oil producer says it has discovered a massive new offshore oil field that could become the country's largest domestic petroleum source in a decade.

The field in the Bohai Bay, in eastern China, could hold reserves of up to 2.2 billion barrels, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The estimated output is equivalent to 5.4 per cent of China's total crude production in 2006, the agency quoted sources with PetroChina as saying.

The find comes amid intense exploration by China's oil companies, looking to reduce the country's rapidly growing dependence on foreign oil.
Such a field, if confirmed, would be a "world-scale discovery", Gavin Thompson, an oil consultant based in Beijing, told the Associated Press.

"In terms of energy security, a 2 billion barrel discovery is going to be very welcome, not only to PetroChina but to China's energy planners."

Jiang Jiemin, vice-chairman and president of PetroChina, said it was "the largest find in China in 10 years".

The Nanpu block in Bohai Bay, partly offshore, covers an area of 1,300-1,500 sq km and is expected to produce high-value light crude, the company said.

Leading importer

CNOOC, another leading energy company, announced this week that it had also discovered new oil and gas fields in Bohai Bay, yielding a test output of 1,600 barrels of oil and approximately 10 million cubic feet of gas per day.

Zhu Weilin, vice-president of CNOOC, said of the discovery: "We hope to develop a large-scale cluster of oil and gas fields [there] in the future."

China, which once met its energy needs from domestic oilfields, has turned into a leading importer of fuel since the 1990s amid surging economic growth.

It is now the world's second largest energy consumer after the US.

The country met almost half of its energy needs through imported fuel in 2006 with oil consumption rising by 9.3 per cent to 2.4 billion barrels.

Easing the pressure

Jim Brock, an industry consultant in Beijing, said while the Bohai discovery would help lessen the pressure for more imports, there would still be "significant pressure".

China, he said, would continue to be a major player in the international market.

Economists say Chinese oil demand, driven by economic growth that reached 10.7 per cent in 2006, has strained world supplies and pushed up prices.

The government is trying to improve the energy efficiency of its economy, which consumes several times more units of energy per unit of output than Japan or the US.

Although Chinese drillers have found several big gas fields, the Bohai discovery is the first major oil find since the mid-1990s.

Source : Al-Jazeera

Related stories :
China surpasses US as world's top energy consumer
China denies energy use claims

Positive outlook for local oil and gas players

KUCHING: The oil & gas industry in Malaysia is seeing a positive uptick as local players continued to report positive news permeating the industry, pointing towards a better 2011 for the sector.

“We cannot deny that there has been a stream of good news for the oil and gas sector that suggests upstream activity is turning more positive,” affirmed a representative from RHB Research Capital Sdn Bhd (RHB Research) when contacted by the Borneo Post yesterday.

“However, we believe that investors should view all news flow in perspective, given there was still underlying economic issues that could pull sentiments down.

“In the near term, we are concerned that a sharper-than-expected global economic slowdown will affect demand for oil. Our conclusion is that there is no real pressure for crude oil prices to move up, and therefore no rush for oil and gas companies to begin spending aggressively. Thus, in the near future, the sector remains very much driven by trading sentiment.”

This was in light of British Petroleum (BP) successfully capping the leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico. Stopping this leak, highlighted RHB Research, was a significant leap forward and relieved the pressure on the US government to impose further drilling restrictions, which in turn reduced the risk of offshore assets moving to this region looking for jobs.

The research house continued to highlight that Southeast Asia’s offshore activities outperformed the rest of the world as shown by the increase month-on-month (m-o-m) in the number and utilisation of working rigs.

NOTEWORTHY PACT: Bourbon Offshore is one of the world’s largest offshore support vessel

players, leading to conclude that the MoU will be a significant play for Petra Energy.

Among good news in the sector included UMW Holdings Bhd (UMW) expecting to revisit its proposal to list its oil & gas revision next year. This could potentially spur the revival of other proposed listings in the sector that were halted, said the research house.

In addition, RHB Research backed UMW to secure contracts for its Naga 2 and Naga 3 jack-up rigs in the near term. It was highlighted that charter rates appeared to be improving but were still below the peak in 2008.

ECM Libra Capital Sdn Bhd (ECM Libra) in a separate report yesterday shared the same view with RHB Research, noting that several oil & gas companies in the region was seeing more action in terms of contracts and boardroom action.

Dayang Enterprises Sdn Bhd (Dayang Enterprises) were among the updates, receiving two work orders under a contract with Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd (Petronas Carigali) for the provision of hook-up and commissioning (HUC) services.

The two work orders, estimated at a total value of RM48.7 million, would bring the group’s earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins to the 20 per cent to 25 per cent levels. The group’s strong margins came from the fact that they owned their own workboats and barges as well as equipment, which were fully paid off, hence no third party charters which would eat into margins.

At this point, ECM Libra opined that the Dayang Enterprises still had an order book of roughly RM920 million with the bulk coming from Shell’s top side maintenance services.

Other news underscored by the research firm included Petra Perdana Bhd (Petra Perdana) managing to secure one board representation in Petra Energy Bhd (Petra Energy) during the extraordinary general meeting (EGM).

Although the board was planning to secure three seats, the one representation nonetheless meant that there was less likelihood of Petra Perdana selling their stake in Petra Energy.

Speaking of Petra Energy, the group formed an alliance with the Singaporean branch of Bourbon Offshore. The latter is one of the largest offshore support vessel players in the world, leading to conclude that this memorandum of understanding (MoU) would be a significant play for Petra Energy.

Under the terms of this MoU, Petra Energy would carry out topside maintenance works while Bourbon Offshore would supply the vessels necessary for the job.

In other news, Thailand’s Mermaid Offshore continued its divestment of Malaysian businesses, looking to sell a Petronas-licensed subsea business for US$23.4 million to their local partner. ECM Libra noted this to be a likely move to raise cash for other purchases.

Looking at downstream developments, Gas Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Gas Malaysia) signed an agreement with Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) for the supply of an additional 82 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of natural gas.

Pursuant to the second supplement of gas supply agreement, this additional supply of natural gas would be effective until December 31, 2011 and would be earnings accretive.

Apart from that, there was circulating news of a private company looking to build 4,000km of subsea liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline from Malaysia to South Korea. This project was valued at US$50 billion or RM160 billion.

ECM Libra viewed this news to be of potential for the likes of Wah Seong Corporation Bhd (Wah Seong) and SapuraCrest Petroleum Bhd (SapuraCrest Petroleum) should it come to fruition.

To conclude, both research firms maintained a positive outlook for the sector in the long term, backing several companies such as Dialog Group Bhd, Dayang Enterprises, Wah Seong and SapuraCrest Petroleum.

Source : The Borneo Post

ASEAN OIL & GAS EXPO (AGEX) 2010

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• Sabah's Many Deepwater Offshore Fields Including Malaysia’s First Deepwater Field In Kikeh

ASEAN OIL & GAS EXPO (AGEX) 2010, SABAH is the industry event for oil and gas professionals in the region. This international event is projected to bring together in 2010, more than 6,000 industry professionals to address the strategic, operational and technology aspects of the Sabah oil and gas industry. The international character of AGEX 2010 presents unparalleled marketing, education and networking opportunities. AGEX 2010 offers you the ideal platform to explore new oil and gas business opportunities, expand your market presence and penetrate emerging markets in Sabah

BP, feds clash over reopening capped Gulf oil well

NEW ORLEANS – BP and the Obama administration offered significantly differing views Sunday on whether the capped Gulf of Mexico oil well will have to be reopened, a contradiction that may be an effort by the oil giant to avoid blame if crude starts spewing again.

Pilloried for nearly three months as it tried repeatedly to stop the leak, BP PLC capped the nearly mile-deep well Thursday and wants to keep it that way. The government's plan, however, is to eventually pipe oil to the surface, which would ease pressure on the fragile well but would require up to three more days of oil spilling into the Gulf.

"No one associated with this whole activity ... wants to see any more oil flow into the Gulf of Mexico," Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer, said Sunday. "Right now we don't have a target to return the well to flow."

An administration official familiar with the spill oversight, however, told The Associated Press that a seep and possible methane were found near the busted oil well. The official spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because an announcement about the next steps had not been made yet.

The concern all along — since pressure readings on the cap weren't as high as expected — was a leak elsewhere in the wellbore, meaning the cap may have to be reopened to prevent the environmental disaster from becoming even worse and harder to fix.

The official, who would not clarify what is seeping near the well, also said BP is not complying with the government's demand for more monitoring.

Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the Obama administration's spill response chief, demanded BP provide results of further testing of the seabed by 9 p.m. EDT Sunday night.

"When seeps are detected, you are directed to marshal resources, quickly investigate, and report findings to the government in no more than four hours. I direct you to provide me a written procedure for opening the choke valve as quickly as possible without damaging the well should hydrocarbon seepage near the well head be confirmed," Allen said in a letter to BP Managing Director Bob Dudley.

When asked about the situation earlier Sunday before the letter was released, BP spokesman Mark Salt would only say that "we continue to work very closely with all government scientists on this."

Oil cleanup workers skim for oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Perdido Pass in Orange Beach

Allen insisted Sunday that "nothing has changed" since Saturday, when he said oil would eventually be piped to surface ships. The government is overseeing BP's work to stop the leak, which ultimately is to be plugged using a relief well.

Allen decided to extend testing of the cap that had been scheduled to end Sunday, the official who spoke on condition of anonymity said. That means the oil will stay in the well for now as scientists continue run tests and monitor pressure readings. The official didn't say how long that would take.

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security referred questions to a statement issued by Allen; neither he nor BP officials could explain the apparent contradiction in plans.

Suttles' comments carved out an important piece of turf for BP: If Allen sticks with the containment plan and oil again pours forth into the Gulf, even briefly, it will be the government's doing, not BP's.

The company very much wants to avoid a repeat of the live underwater video that showed millions of gallons of oil spewing from the blown well for weeks.
"I can see why they're pushing for keeping the cap on and shut in until the relief well is in place," said Daniel Keeney, president of a Dallas-based public relations firm.

The government wants to eliminate any chance of making matters worse, while BP is loath to lose the momentum it gained the moment it finally halted the leak, Keeney said.

"They want to project being on the same team, but they have different end results that benefit each," he said.

Oil would have to be released under Allen's plan, which would ease concerns that the capped reservoir might force its way out through another route. Those concerns stem from pressure readings in the cap that have been lower than expected.

Scientists still aren't sure whether the pressure readings mean a leak elsewhere in the well bore, possibly deep down in bedrock, which could make the seabed unstable. Oil would be have to be released into the water to relieve pressure and allow crews to hook up the ships, BP and Allen have said.

So far, there have been no signs of a leak.

"We're not seeing any problems at this point with the shut-in," Suttles said at a Sunday morning briefing.

Allen said later Sunday that scientists and engineers would continue to evaluate and monitor the cap through acoustic, sonar and seismic readings.

They're looking to determine whether low pressure readings mean that more oil than expected poured into the Gulf of Mexico since the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig exploded April 20, killing 11 people and touching off one of America's worst environment crises.

"While we are pleased that no oil is currently being released into the Gulf of Mexico and want to take all appropriate action to keep it that way, it is important that all decisions are driven by the science," Allen said in a news release.

"Ultimately, we must ensure no irreversible damage is done which could cause uncontrolled leakage from numerous points on the sea floor."

Both Allen and BP have said they don't know how long the trial run will continue. It was set to end Sunday afternoon, but the deadline — an extension from the original Saturday cutoff — came and went with no word on what's next.

After little activity Sunday, robots near the well cap came to life around the time of the cutoff. It wasn't clear what they were doing, but bubbles started swirling around as their robotic arms poked at the mechanical cap.

To plug the busted well, BP is drilling two relief wells, one of them as a backup. The company said work on the first one was far enough along that officials expect to reach the broken well's casing, or pipes, deep underground by late this month. The subsequent job of jamming the well with mud and cement could take days or a few weeks.

It will take months, or possibly years for the Gulf to recover, though cleanup efforts continued and improvements in the water could be seen in the days since the oil stopped flowing. Somewhere between 94 million and 184 million gallons have spilled into the Gulf, according to government estimates.

The spill has prevented many commercial fishermen from their jobs, though some are at work with the cleanup. Some boat captains were surprised and angry to learn that the money they make from cleanup work will be deducted from the funds they would otherwise receive from a $20 billion compensation fund set up by BP.

The fund's administrator, Kenneth Feinberg, told The Associated Press on Sunday that if BP pays fishermen wages to help skim oil and perform other cleanup work, those wages will be subtracted from the amount they get from the fund.

Longtime charter boat captain Mike Salley said he didn't realize BP planned to deduct those earnings, and he doubted many other captains knew, either.

"I'll keep running my boat," he said Sunday on a dock in Orange Beach, Ala., before heading back into the Gulf to resupply other boats with boom to corral the oil. "What else can I do?"