An oil rig that exploded Tuesday night and burned for 36 hours sank in the Gulf of Mexico this morning,leaving responders with a potentially enormous oil spill on their hands.
The well is still unplugged and could potentially release up to 8,000 barrels of crude oil per day, said Coast Guard officials. In addition, over a million gallons of #2 fuel oil or marine diesel fuel was
reported to be onboard the rig when it went down.
Transocean said in a statement, "The combined response team was not able to stem the flow of hydrocarbons prior to the rig sinking, and we are working closely with BP Exploration & Production, Inc. and the U.S. Coast Guard to determine the impact from the sinking of the rig and the plans going forward." "We are determined to do everything in our power to contain this oil spill and resolve the situation as rapidly, safely and effectively as possible," said BP Group Chief Executive Tony Hayward.