Government's Thad Allen Screws Up BP (NYSE:BP) Relief Well Efforts

It was puzzling to a number of petroleum engineers when BP (NYSE:BP) was told to attempt a "top kill" on the leaking oil well, while foregoing the "bottom kill," which is the only sure way to permanently plug the well.

This had to be a decision by government officials to attempt to save the approximate 45,000 barrels of oil left in the well, along with the natural gas.

What appears to have been the strategy was to attempt a top kill which may also have also plugged the annulus, a space between the production casing and the outer casing that runs all the way to the top of the well. That is what the purpose of a bottom kill is.

That's why a pressure test was performed, in order to see if in one blow they were able to kill the well, while leaving the option of extracting oil and gas in the future via a relief well already in place.

While it's certain BP wouldn't have had any qualms about this, the decision was National Incident Commander Thad Allen's, and those who gave him the instructions to proceed in that manner.

Because it makes little sense, it is obvious there is something else in play, and that could only be the attempt to salvage the oil and gas in the well for the short term.

Now another unnecessary problem has arisen from attempting the top kill in this way. About 1,000 barrels of oil are trapped below the top, and performing a bottom kill could push it out into the Gulf of Mexico.

But if the bottom seal were to now break, a new avenue for the oil to be released into the Gulf would be created.

Somebody must have wanted this oil and gas awfully bad to take this kind of risk.

Now Allen said today he may order BP to perform the bottom kill like it originally planned to, and accept the fact that more oil will be released into the Gulf.