Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Storms May Disrupt BP (NYSE:BP) Cleanup Efforts

While scientists are in disagreement over the effects of storms which could interfere with the oil cleanup efforts of BP (NYSE:BP), there is a strong likelihood that at least one will hit the Gulf region hard, and up to three could hammer the Gulf, although there is disagreement in that regard too.

The give and take of a storm is first of all, it could break down the oil better and disperse in a manner which is far less concentrated, while the other side of the coin is it could spread it further than under current conditions, while stopping the ability of BP to capture the oil leaking into the Gulf.

One step BP is reportedly close to putting into place is an improved containment cap, which will hold more oil and allow vessels on the surface to leave the area and go to safety, while keeping the system in place. They hope to have that ready by the end of the month, or right before the hurricane season begins.

Some meteorologists believe the first storm of the Atlantic hurricane season could head to the Gulf of Mexico next week some time, having the potential to interfere with the oil cleaning efforts of BP.

Yesterday AccuWeather upwardly revised its forecast for the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season from 18 to 21 named storms, up from the original estimate of 16 to 18, which will increase the likelihood some of them will hit the region during the cleanup.

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