Page 2 - Coffer Dam News Today

Nbc joins us from port sulphur. >> reporter: the weather is cooperating after a couple rough days other the weekend. this calm, this low in the weather is allowing officials out there responsible for the cleanup and containment of the oil spill to go out and continue booming. also more importantly to continue the skimming. theyre trying to kor ral and contain this oil spill, this oil slick, into areas where theyre hopefully going to try to let off and ignite some of the controlled burns that we ...

Reporters while there are no guarantees, the dome could have the spill under control by early next week. >> reporter: contessa, a lot of the elements here around this oil spill, oil leak is very imprecise. thats why a lot of the officials with bp especially have been hesitant to give out estimates. for now bp is expecting to move what theyre calling a 65-ton coffer dam into place over the major leak in about six days. theyre hoping to have that in place within six day. its basically a 65-ton con...

Loss of 5,000 barrels a day? how do you cap it off? >> were trying to a couple of things, chris. first of all, when the incident occurred and the mobile drilling unit sunk, there should have been an act wags of a blow-out preventer. its a valve this shuts, that obviously did not close or it only closed partially. the challenge is to try to stop the leak around that. theyll have to drill a relief well to stop the pressure. and in the meantime were trying to deal with the leakage around the riser ...

Meeting with five governors last night, the navy is involved. obviously, b.p. cant handle it. i understand theyre designing and building a large boxlike structure that could be lowered right over where the leak is rising. and with a 5,000 foot long pipe down there, connected to the rig that would allow that oil to flow somewhere else besides through the waters, is that correct? >> yes. they call that a dome or a coffer dam that would encapsulate the area where there are three leaks and then as y...

Minerals management service on the floor of the ocean and coast guard has equities at the top and were all committed as far as recovering the oil. >> how do you get down a mile deep into the gulf of mexico and stop that loss of 5,000 barrels a day? how do you cap it off? >> were trying to a couple of things, chris. first of all, when the incident occurred and the mobile drilling unit sunk, there should have been an actuation of a blowout preventer. its a valve that automatically shuts. that obvi...

Underwater video showing the leak. the company says it spent $450 million responding to the massive spill. and now bp is ready to try its next attempt to plug up that leak. this with a two-ton containment dome called a top hat. its made its way to the sea floor, and its being positioned to sit on top of that leak. well, nbcs tom trong joins us live from dauphin island, alabama. tom, can you explain to us what this smaller dome is? this is really a plan "b," right? >> reporter: it certainly is, l...