Discovery Enterprise News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Saturday, and that's at the earliest. why? there is a complicated system of connections that still need to be made. the national incident commander, thad allen, explained it this way. >> as you know, the discovery enterprise is taking oil straight from the riser pipe and the lower package right now through the containment cap. we're also producing through the choke line, through the q4000. we intend to take the oil coming out of the kill line at this point, and hook that up to the helix producer. >> now, when that helix producer is hooked up, and this is the most important thing, that thad all...

Stepping up to the microphones right now. >> whims between 17 and 22 knots. and we have a sea state about 7 feet. in the next 24 hours, we look for that to diminish slightly. the wind, 12 to 14 knots. and over the next 24, 36 hours, to have the wind -- the sea state drop to about 6 feet. the major impact on the operations out there right now have to do with hooking up the third producing vessel, the helix produce e which was anticipated to have been done right about now, but has been delayed because the flexible hose has been prohibited by the sea state. but we are able to continue the product...

I want to show you right here, we've been watching this map over the 80-plus days because of the oil spill. this read spot is ground zero, where there are dozens of ships on the water. "the discovery enterprise," getting the oil coming up from the containment cap, so many other skimming ships out here, support ships out here. the national incident commander, thad allen, said if they get a forecast that says heavy winds and forecasts come this way, they have a plan, that in terms, unfortunately, of the recovery effort, requires everyone to get off site. >> we have a very robust contingency plan...

That containment cap, the main thing slowing and collecting the oil. >> the system that collected more than 1 million gallons of oil from the seafloor tuesday looked like this today, oil gushing almost unchecked. one of the remote operated vehicles, bp's eyes and hands a mile beneath the surface, was spreading disspendants when it ran into the containment cap at 9:45 eastern. the accident forced a vent closed. those troublesome ice-like crystals that can block vents and create pressure inside the cap. >> the discovery enterprise removed the container cap with the riser pipe and moved away unti...

Down that prevents hydrates from forming. the discovery enterprise removed the containment cap and moved away until they could assess the conditi condition. they have indicated the problem was a remotely operated vehicle had bumped into one of the vents that allows the excess oil to come out and actually closed it, thereby creating pressure, and the backflow up the water vent. they are checking the containment cap right now. if there are no hide rates in the containment cap, they will reinstall the containment cap and begin producing later on in the day. they may have to rerun the pipeline, an...