Weather slows oil spill efforts as U.S. accepts foreign help.

By Kristen Hays Kristen Hays – 1 hr 18 mins ago
HOUSTON (Reuters) – Bad weather halted some clean-up efforts from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill on Tuesday as high winds and waves from a strengthening storm threatened to hamper plans to capture more of the crude gushing from the largest spill in U.S. history.

Offshore oil cleanup activity off the Louisiana coast, parts of which are under a coastal flood watch, was halted as Tropical Storm Alex moved over southern Gulf waters.

The National Hurricane Center said Alex was close to hurricane strength and was expected to curl northwest away from major oil-extraction facilities.

The U.S. government also said it would accept 22 offers of foreign assistance from a dozen countries and international agencies to help clean up and contain the oil spill.

Authorities "have determined that there is a need for containment boom and skimming vessels that can be met by offers of assistance from foreign governments and international bodies," the State Department said in a statement. (You gotta be kidding me!!!! 71 days to figure out what a 2 year old knows!!!! VOTE THEM ALL OUT!)

Vice President Joe Biden, visiting the Gulf region for the first time since the 71-day crisis began, emphasized the federal government's commitment.

"We're not going to end this until everyone is made whole," Biden said in Pensacola, Florida.

With rough weather approaching, controlled burns of oil on the ocean, flights spraying dispersant chemicals and booming operations were all stopped, authorities said.

However, BP Plc's oil-capture and relief well drilling continued.

About 8,475 barrels of oil were collected in the first 12 hours of Tuesday, BP said. Some 4,130 barrels of crude were flared, along with 28.7 million cubic feet of natural gas.

But BP officials said waves as high as 12 feet would delay for several days its plans to hook up a third system to capture much more oil.

U.S. government officials estimate 35,000 to 60,000 barrels are gushing from the blown-out well each day. The current containment system can handle up to 28,000 barrels daily. The planned addition would have raised that to 53,000 bpd.

BP's market capitalization has shrunk by about $100 billion since its Deepwater Horizon drilling rig sank in 5,000 feet of water on April 22, two days after an explosion and fire killed 11 workers.

The company's shares have lost more than half their value, but have seen sporadic bargain hunting on the way down. Tuesday was one of those days; BP's U.S.-listed shares rose 2.3 percent to $27.67 although stock indices tumbled.

The stock's slide since late April has also sparked talk of a possible takeover bid.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100630/us_ ... l_spill_20