BP Oil Spill Latest - Does Permanent Plug mean Relief Well no Longer Needed?

Pressure tests performed on the previously leaking well on Thursday should reveal if the leak has been stopped well enough to declare the operation complete. A this stage it will be decided if the well is permanently plugged and if drilling of a relief well is still necessary.

BP said last week its "static kill" procedure had successfully stopped the leak..

This live feed is monitoring the current situation:

Gulf of Mexico webcam

Location Information:

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the BP oil disaster or the Macondo blowout) is a massive ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, now considered the largest offshore spill in U.S. history Some estimates placed it by late May or early June, 2010, as among the largest oil spills in the world with tens of millions of gallons spilled to date. The spill stems from a sea floor oil gusher that resulted from the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion. The explosion killed 11 platform workers and injured 17 others.

BP Oil Spill Live Feed - Static Kill is Underway

Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Webcam - BP Oil Spill Live Feed

Live underwater feed from the site of the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico as attempts are in progress to kill the leak once and for all.

As what is hoped will be one of the final stages in stopping the leaking gulf oil well, the process of static kill is now underway as BP aim to permanently plug the well.

For the static kill process, mud is pumped into the top of the well, pushing the oil back down into the reservoir. After this procedure, which could last several days - the top of the well could be filled with cement.

This live feed will capture all of the action as the attempt continues:

BP Oil Spill - Oil Well Leak to be Sealed

Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Webcam - BP Oil Spill Live Feed

BP is due to begin sealing its oil well in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday night, a full three months after an accident led to the worst oil spill in US history.

Engineers are now preparing to pump mud and cement into the well in a procedure known as "static kill". This operation will be covered by this live underwater feed at the site:

BP Oil Spill Live Feed - Florida Now Safe Say Experts

Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Webcam - BP Oil Spill Live Feed

Very encouraging news for the residents and tourist industries in the state of Florida today, as the latest projections show that Florida's southern beaches and the Florida Keys will now be safe from oil washing up as tar balls form the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

The news will come as a massive relief to business owners in the area, who can look forward to a busy summer season.

The live feed of the previously leaking well shows the latest capping attempt continuing to hold out, a very welcome sight.

Pensacola Webcam Shows Tourists Returning to Florida Beaches

Pensacola Beach, Santa Rosa Island on Florida's Emerald Coast

Live view from Pensacola Beach as the BP oil spill concern recedes, and tourists return to the beach and ocean.

One of the major concerns surrounding the recent BP oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico was the impact on the local tourist industry, and in Florida's coastal regions in particular there were real concerns that their livelihoods were under threat.

At the peak of the crisis, tar balls were washing up onto the white sand beaches, swimming was impossible and even fishing in the gulf waters was stopped.

A week on from the plugging of the well, and with surface oil fast dispersing, the live view form one of Florida's most popular beaches at Pensacola shows that the summer season tourism is thriving once again.

Gulf of Mexico Webcam

Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Webcam - BP Oil Spill Live Feed

Live webcam feed from underwater in the Gulf of Mexico, looking at the plugged oil well.

The positive news continues to emerge form the Gulf of Mexico, with claims now emerging that , as well as the plug on the previously leaking oil well continuing to hold, the water which was previously floating on the surface water of the gulf is already almost completely dispersed.

The live feed of the capped well shows the success of the current capping effort.

BP Oil Spill Live Feed - Pressure Tests Underway

Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon BP Oil Spill - Live Feed

As the Gulf of Mexico oil spill continues, optimism is growing that the latest capping attempt may prove successful, finally bringing an end to the flow of oil into the ocean.

Preparations are now well underway for a pressure test of the damaged oil well BP has said.

The test began late on Wednesday and is expected to last up to 48 hours. BP has said that valves were being positioned ready to gradually close the cap so that pressure could build up so the well's strength can be tested.

This live feed has a view directly over the leaking well, and will be one of the first to show whether the latest attempts are successful.

Live feed of BP latest attempts to plug oil leak

Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon BP Oil Spill - Live Feed

After months of leaking oil into the Gulf of Mexico, BP are optimistic about the success of their latest attempt to cap the oil spill, with the placement of a new cap on the leaking well believed to have gone well.

A spokesman yesterday said: "The measurements that will be taken during this test will provide valuable information about the condition of the well below the sea level and help determine whether or not it is possible to shut the well for a period of time"

One of the features of this story has been the presence of live feeds at the site, allowing people to view the status of the leaking well for themselves, with the live feeds proving very popular as both a news and PR tool.

Sarasota Bay Live Webcam View

Sarasota Bay and downtown Sarasota, Florida from Siesta Key

At a time when many are growing concerned that tourism numbers to Florida, and the coastal areas in particular, will be severely affected by the oils slick form the ongoing spill in the Gulf of Mexico, My World Webcams brings a live webcam feed directly form the coast at Sarasota Bay:

The view from Siesta Key, one of the famous Florida Keys, shows a tranquil and peaceful scene, with no sign of the tar balls that have been appearing elsewhere. In fact, local tourism officials have been quick to point out that this area had been largely unaffected, and hope that visitors will continue to arrive in large numbers, as the local bars and restaurants of the tourist industry are heavily dependent on their arrival.

Swimming with Sharks!

An increasingly popular holiday activity is to get in a cage and swim with sharks, well at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota they have a safer alternative - the ability to view the sharks in their natural habitat remotely via their underwater webcam:

Mote Marine Aquarium Shark Tank Cam located on Lido Key in Sarasota, Florida

In an area that many are concerned will be affected by the oils slick and tar balls starting to wash up all along the Gulf of Mexico shore as a result of the recent BP oil spill, it also affords an opportunity to view the state of the ocean and see for yourself how clear the waters still are, a boost for tourism in the area.

Mote Marine Laboratory is an independent not-for-profit marine research organization based on City Island in Sarasota, Fla. Mote is dedicated to advancing the science of the sea through the study of marine and estuarine ecosystems, through the public Mote Aquarium and through an education division that provides programs for all ages.

Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon BP Oil Spill - Live Feed

The live video feeds of the incident provide a quite frightening insight into the scope and level of the oil spill - we have one of the feeds now featured on our site at:

http://www.myworldwebcams.com/usa/louisiana/oil_spill.html

Background info: The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the BP oil disaster or the Macondo blowout) is a massive ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, now considered the largest offshore spill in U.S. history Some estimates placed it by late May or early June, 2010, as among the largest oil spills in the world with tens of millions of gallons spilled to date. The spill stems from a sea floor oil gusher that resulted from the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion. The explosion killed 11 platform workers and injured 17 others.

New Webcam - Pensacola Beach, Florida

Pensacola Beach, Santa Rosa Island on Florida's Emerald Coast

Pensacola Beach is an unincorporated community located on Santa Rosa Island, a barrier island, in Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is situated south of Pensacola, connected via bridges spanning to the Fairpoint Peninsula and then to the island, on the Gulf of Mexico. As of the 2000 census, the community had a total population of 2,738.

Pensacola Beach occupies land bound by a 1947 deed from the United States Department of Interior that it be administered in the public interest by the county or leased, but never "disposed"; its businesses and residents are thus long-term leaseholders and not property owners