US authorizes BP to cement Gulf well shut

WASHINGTON DC, United States—The US point man to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill authorized BP Wednesday to finally cement the busted oil well that has gushed crude into the waters since April, but said a relief well should be finished as planned.

"Based on the successful completion of the static kill procedure and a positive evaluation of the test results, I have authorized BP to cement its damaged well," retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said in a statement.

Allen however also "made it clear" to the British-based energy giant that the cementing should "in no way delay the completion of the relief well," referring to work on alternate drilling points that would seal the well for good.

The long-awaited "static kill" operation successfully rammed heavy drilling fluid overnight into the damaged Macondo well, forcing the oil back down into the reservoir miles beneath the seabed.

The end of the 106-day gushing was only the beginning of what could be years of clean-up work for oil that has seeped onto the five Gulf states' coastline, US officials warned earlier Wednesday.

Source: Inquirer