2010-07-07 13:04

HOUSTON - BP said Tuesday its two oil containment systems captured about 24,980 barrels of oil from the ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday.

Of the total, 16,760 barrels of oil were collected and about 8, 220 barrels were burned, London-based BP said on its website. Meanwhile, approximately 57.1 million cubic of natural gas were captured and flared.

In total, BP said it has recovered about 657,300 barrels of oil at the site where BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig exploded late April, killing 11 workers and unleashing the worst oil spill in U. S. history.

The oil and gas have been recovered largely by two vessels, the Discoverer Enterprise and the Q4000.

BP said it was planning a third containment system, which was delayed by heightened sea states caused by Hurricane Alex as it passed through the Gulf of Mexico.

The additional system is expected to be put into operation by the end of this week, the company said in an earlier statement.

Meanwhile, BP said it continues to make progress on two relief wells, the best hope of stopping the weeks-old oil spill that spews 30,000 to 65,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico every day.

The first relief well, which started May 2, reached a depth of 17,725 feet on July 4 and the second well, which started May 16, has reached a measured depth of 13,871 feet, BP said in a statement on Monday.

BP has conducted six electromagnetic tests, known as "ranging" run, to detect the steel casing of the leaking Macondo well. These tests are to ensure that the well is on track.

The construction of the relief wells is ahead of schedule, and BP expect to kill the Macondo well by the middle of August, BP spokesman Robert Wine told Bloomberg in a telephone interview on Monday.