Oil containment cap removed after robot collision

BP's efforts to capture oil spewing from its blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico have hit a snag, after a robot collided with a containment cap, forcing its removal for inspection.

The glitch halted pumping of oil to the Discover Enterprise, larger of two vessels currently collecting a fraction of the gushing oil. The vessel is capable of capturing 2.86 million litres of oil a day - a fraction of the 5.56 to 9.54 million litres now estimated to be flowing each day.

The Los Angeles Times' Greenspace blog explains that cap was removed to check for the formation of gas hydrate crystals after the collision. These could clog the collection apparatus - and were the main reason that earlier containment efforts failed.

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2010/06/oil-containment-cap-removed-af.html