P4000

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Course/Position

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P4000 876712300

A crane has hoisted the Blow Out Preventer which caused the "Deepwater Horizon" explosion to the surface of the Gulf of Mexico in the night of Sep 5, 2010, giving investigators their first chance to scrutinise the massive piece of equipment that failed to stop the gusher four months ago. It took 29 hours to lift the 15.24m, 300-tonne blowout preventer from 1500 m beneath the sea to the surface. The five-storey-high device looked largely intact with black stains on the yellow metal when hoisted aboard the "Helix Q 4000". FBI agents were among the 137 people on board the "Helix Q 4000", taking photos and video of the device, which will next be analysed at a Nasa facility in Louisiana.

P4000 876712300

BP was deploying a second ship on June 15, 2010, to the Gulf of Mexico, where crews will burn up to 10,000 barrels of oil per day in a bid to significantly boost efforts to stem the massive leak. The "Q4000" does not have enough capacity to store oil and continuously barging it to shore would involve "significant safety risks" due to the sheer number of vessels in the area, officials said. But the vessel will perform a critical function close to the ruptured wellhead by managing control systems for a critical valve known as the blowout preventer.