BP announced Thursday that a cap has been placed on the oil leak that has caused the largest natural disaster in U.S. history and oil is no longer seeping into the Gulf, the Associated Press is reporting.
The 75-ton cap ended an 85-day leak at 2:25 p.m. CDT Thursday, BP PLC vice president Kent Wells said at a news conference.
The first report of the leak came on April 20, when an explosion on the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 people.
“”I am very pleased that there’s no oil going into the Gulf of Mexico. In fact, I’m really excited there’s no oil going into the Gulf of Mexico,”” Wells said.
The cap isn’t considered permanent and engineers are hoping the stoppage doesn’t create new leaks elsewhere in the well as pressure builds within, the AP reports.
More oil spill news …
• Check out oil spill coverage in The Daily Reveille from LSU.
