Gulf Oil Spill-BP-

From: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com

The Obama administration has asked BP if crews working on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico can step up oil-recapturing operations at the same time work is underway to replace the “top hat” well cap with a tighter-fitting seal.

The repair crews struggling to contain the spill have positioned another ship, the Helix, to siphon off an additional 25,000 barrels a day of the oil, which would double the existing capture rate from BP’s blown-out well on the seafloor.

But at least one of the two ships currently collecting spilled oil would have to move away from the wellhead site to allow the new capping equipment to be put in place, senior administration officials told reporters in Washington.

Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the federal on-scene coordinator overseeing the spill intervention, has asked BP whether the crews can move in the Helix at the same time they attempt to replace the well cap with a more effective seal, to get both operations accomplished during a week of calm weather ahead.