BP spill site to get stormy

2010-07-23

The BP oil company has stopped work on a damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico due to a tropical storm approaching the site.

Tropical Storm Bonnie has formed near the Bahamas with winds of 64 kilometers per hour. It is expected the storm to move across the oil spill area on Saturday.

Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the spill overseer, has said he will ensure work crews prepare for the storm, with an instruction to all vessels to suspend their work.

He said that it would be possible to see wave heights reaching or exceeding any during previous storms in the area, which he described as "not a hurricane."

Admiral Allen said the impending storm would have significant impacts.

Some smaller boats which have been skimming oil have now returned to port.

Larger vessels, including two large drilling platforms, will ride out the storm at sea.

Source: Europe News.Net