Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak to your committee today.
I have some prepared remarks relating to the April 20 incident on the Transocean Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and on the resources and expertise BP is bringing to bear in the spill response effort.
Just over three weeks ago, 11 people were lost in an explosion and fire aboard the Transocean Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, and 17 others were injured. My deepest sympathy and condolences go out to the families, friends, and colleagues who have suffered such a terrible loss, and to those in communities along the gulf coast whose lives and livelihoods are being impacted.
The root cause of this tragic incident is unknown at this time, and figuring out what happened and why it happened is a complex process. We are cooperating with the joint investigation by the departments of Homeland Security and the Interior and investigations by the United States Congress.
In addition, BP has commissioned an internal investigation, whose results we plan to share so that we can all learn from these terrible events. As a responsible party under the Oil Pollution Act, we will carry out our responsibilities to mitigate the environmental and economic impacts of this incident.
I would like to acknowledge the support that BP is getting from the industry, from federal, state, and local authorities, and from the affected communities. The response is being managed within a unified command that was established within hours of the accident. Overall there are approximately 13,000 people involved. And I know that the Government of British Columbia has also offered emergency response technicians to the United States Coast Guard.
BP responded quickly and aggressively to the spill, and we continue to attack this very aggressively on three fronts: in the subsea, to stop the flow of oil and secure the well; on the surface; and on the shoreline. Our number one priority is to shut off the flow.
In the subsea, we are pursuing multiple options in parallel. We are working on an operation, known as “top kill”, aimed at stopping the flow of oil from the well. This essentially works by injecting multi-sized particles to plug the blowout preventer, or BOP, followed by using heavyweight drilling mud and ultimately cement to permanently seal off the well. This is a proven industry technique and has been used worldwide, but never in 5,000 feet of water.
We are also working on two relief wells. Work on the first relief well, which began on Sunday, May 2, continues. As of May 10, it had reached 9,000 feet, and it is expected to take some months to complete. The second relief well will commence at the end of this week.
Moving on to containing the flow, we are also continuing the work on a subsea oil recovery plan using a containment dome that will sit over the leaks and direct oil upward though a pipe. A containment dome measuring about four feet in diameter and five feet high is being readied to lower over the main leak point. This small dome will be connected by drill pipe and riser lines to a drill ship on the surface to collect and treat oil. It is designed to mitigate the formation of large volumes of hydrates.
In summary, BP continues to do everything it can in conjunction with governmental authorities and other industry experts to find a solution to stem the flow of oil on the seabed or contain it before it reaches surface.
On the surface, BP has launched a massive operation. BP's team of operational and technical experts are working in coordination with several federal and state agencies, organizations, and companies. As I said, approximately 13,000 people are involved in the response, including shoreline defence and community outreach.
Over 1.5 million feet of boom has been installed to contain the spill and protect sensitive coastal areas, with more than a million more feet available.
Over 500 response vessels are being used, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels. These include specially built oil spill response vessels with two oil-water separators. This allows for continuous response operations, as separated water can be decanted back into the boomed area. There are 37 aircraft, both fixed-wing and helicopters, that are deployed to support the response effort.
We are also attacking the area with coast guard approved biodegradable dispersants, which are being applied from planes and boats. We have also developed and tested a technique to apply dispersant at the leak point on the seabed. The EPA is carefully analyzing options for the possible future use of this technique.
To protect the shoreline, we are implementing what the United States Coast Guard has called the most massive shoreline protection effort ever mounted. Fourteen staging areas, in four states, have been set up to protect sensitive shorelines. We have rapid response teams ready to deploy to any affected areas, to assess the type and quantity of oiling so the most effective cleaning strategies can be applied.
The community response has been superb. We have 1,000 local vessels contracted for a variety of tasks and more than 4,000 volunteers who have been trained to assist.
We intend to do everything in our power to bring this well under control and to mitigate the environmental impact of the spill. I can assure you that we, and the entire industry, will learn from this terrible event and emerge from it stronger, smarter, and safer.
This concludes my remarks, Mr. Chairman.