New Footage of BP's Failed Containment Dome Effort (VIDEO)

Update: BP just confirmed to us that the pipe in the 2nd video showing the main leak is 20" in diameter (almost 2 feet). (Specifically, the outer is 21"; the inner is 20".)

More footage was released today from the Deepwater Disaster, providing an indication of the powerful streams of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.

This video shows the failed attempt over the weekend to lower a 100-ton, 4-story "cofferdam" dome over the top of the main leak. As the dome is lowered onto the leak, you can see the oil gushing out on the sides, offering a better sense of the volume of oil pumping into the Gulf of Mexico:

And in case you missed it, here's the other video released today from the pipe source 5,000 feet down on the ocean floor:

H/T Kevin Grandia at Energy Boom.

 

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Comments

[wassilij]

04:54 PM on 05/17/2010

There is a major coverup going on with this oil spill.....a microbe exists that will literally eat this oil and neutralize the toxic effects of this oil in the Gulf of Mexico!The major corporations refuse to use it because they cannot patent it, own it, or sell it because its very inexpensive....It is available all over the world!!...It' time for BP to stop the BS...and use what has been proven to work,,,,

http://www.gatorinternational.com/

[o4tuna]

01:54 PM on 05/16/2010

I'm beginning to think that these half @$$ed efforts are on purpose.

[anothervoice]

09:58 AM on 05/16/2010

That would be "up on." Not enough coffee yet.

[anothervoice]

09:57 AM on 05/16/2010

Good morning, Huffposters -

Saw this interesting beginning of a story over at Gizmodo and thought you might like it:

http://gizmodo.com/5539842/meet-the-team-of-all-star-scientists-obama-assembled-to-fix-the-oil-spill?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gizmodo%2Ffull+%28Gizmodo%29&utm_content=My+MSN

BTW - Huffington Post/Moderators, this would be a good story to follow op on. Hope you've got someone on it.

[tiggerbob195]

06:10 PM on 05/15/2010

We shouldn't give up on offshore drilling. If we give up now, then we are giving in to depending on oil sources from countries that want to destroy us. We need to take the billions that we are spending on troops overseas and use the money to clean up the disaster, help those whose livelihoods were affected by the spill, and invest in insuring that safe and environmentally sound methods are used to deliver offshore oil. If we would have taken the same attitude towards some of the early NASA disasters, we would have not landed on the moon. Another energy source, hydroelectric power, has had its share of disasters, namely dambreaks which killed several people and caused a large amount of destruction. We still use hydroelectric power. Even our sources of oil from the Persian Gulf has had its share of disasters. Don't let the oil spill and the coal mine disaster deter us from developing energy sources closer to home.

[WorkhelpWorkhelp]

02:35 AM on 05/16/2010

You, unfortunately are right.

[Bruckley]

04:20 PM on 05/15/2010

Drill baby drill!!! Or not.

[bootspur]

12:17 AM on 05/15/2010

What is the size of that pipe? I've yet to hear if the diameter 2" 2' OR 20,' it's difficult to imagine without that information...

[MrUniteUs]

08:19 AM on 05/15/2010

21 inches in diameter.

[StopDU]

03:44 PM on 05/14/2010

See how big now - interactive map:
http://paulrademacher.com/oilspill/#
Mahalo disappearednews.com

[odellawilson]

03:20 PM on 05/14/2010

The blame game is the guilty party's means of distraction, an attempt to take focus away from the true cause of this rig explosion and oil gusher filling the waters of the Gulf region.

BP needs to take responsibility for their initial negligence and learn a lesson - greed has a way of biting you in the butt and leaving a bad taste in the mouth of the consumer, as well as the eco-system. BP made billions of dollars in profits, post Katrina and gave nothing in return towards improvement.

Had BP correctly addressed and correctly fixed the problem at first light, instead of implementing quick fixes, patch jobs; this entire situation would have been avoided.

But hey, that's my opinion! I might not be an Engineer, but I'm no fool either. With enough proper investigation, I believe it will be proven - BP knew they faced a risky situation and a serious problem existed, yet they invested minimal expense to correct and crossed their fingers, so to speak - Pinch a penny to waste a dollar mentality.

[anothervoice]

10:02 AM on 05/16/2010

I was thinking the same thing this morning - The Bush Recession, the Oil disaster, The S&L bailout all have their origins in greed unrestricted by regulation. Now that I look at it, there was a Bush in there during each of these debacles. Even the 2000 election. And Katrina. And the Gulf War(s).

And they say Obama is the Antichrist. Look again.

Hmmm.

[Gilliam G]

02:26 PM on 05/14/2010

Save The Planet For Another Day!! Hey BP, Transocean and Haliburton...What Do You Say? If ever there was a more relevant song this is it. Please have a listen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSy9Pocu3Go

[travalar]

05:47 PM on 05/14/2010

Very nice vid Gil.

[anastasia222]

12:02 PM on 05/14/2010

Why does the "blame game" come first? I think we have plenty of time for that! Logic should tell us, stop it, clean it, then you can start figuring out who's REALLY going to PAY for it. We know, as usual, that the living creatures are paying the bill, and mankind will pay the long-term bill (may never see gulf shrimp in our lifetime again). And you can probably kiss your cheap Mexican sittin-on-the-beach vacations good-bye cuz those beaches aren't going to be there. It's time to Man-up to what we've done.

[gakabani]

10:59 AM on 05/14/2010

Obama's response is lame and ludicrous. Obama has shown his real colors, he is a product of political capitalism not democracy. This ecological catastrophe needs a serious response from Obama not just lip service.

[Jimboy17]

11:05 AM on 05/14/2010

I agree. His response to the tragedy in Thailand, Hugo Chavez, and the death of the Marx Brothers has also been atrocious. He didn't stop the assassination of Dr. King OR JFK, and he has no tentacles. What a maroon.

Please post something of relevance in your screed.

[iisguy]

01:13 PM on 05/14/2010

I am very pro-obama and I agree with gakabani in the part that the response to this has been poor. Why isn;t the Navy and Coast Guard out there with every available ship sopping this crap up? Why isn't there a rallying cry to have everybody with a boat on the gulf out there using tin cans if they have too to pour this crap into supplied tankers or barrells or something. Get 100,000 ships out there doing 2-3 barrells a day each. Have the goverenment +BP supply food, medical, gas, emergency response, logisitcs. Get it moving instead of waiting for BP to do something effective.

[SimianNation]

10:23 AM on 05/14/2010

This is the beginning of the end....

[mrjames1]

09:58 AM on 05/14/2010

While i am no expert in engineering and fluid dynamics, i have seen a tiny 2hp water pump on a cheap above ground summer pool push out 20,000 liters per hour , and that gusher in the top video bl/ows it away by an order of magnitude

http://www.advantageman.com/waterwayreplacementspapumpsidedischarge2intake.aspx

the led clock shows it is in real time, and we know the size of the pipe, can some engineer out there come up with a realistic approximation of the oil gushing out? thanks in advance

[mrjames1]

10:11 AM on 05/14/2010

sorry - 200,000 liters per hour - my mistake

[LastAngryWoman]

02:44 PM on 05/14/2010

I thought a realistic approximation of the oil gushing out already has been made. It is approximately 2,000,000 gallons per day. That's on the reserved side.
While I have seen some msm channels cover this story with this approximation in it...the anchor inevitably says, "so it may be three times or even quadruble the original 5,000 barrels per day estimate.

[ChumpChicken]

08:36 AM on 05/14/2010

great.....and a majority of Americans still support off-shore oil drilling?!?!? What kind of country do we live in???

[wassilij]

02:41 PM on 05/15/2010

one very ignorant one.