BP preparing to start burning at sea oil siphoned from leaking well in Gulf of Mexico

BP to start burning captured Gulf oil at sea

NEW ORLEANS — BP PLC plans to boost its ability to directly capture oil leaking from a well in the Gulf of Mexico by early next week.

Kent Wells, BP’s senior vice president of exploration and production, said Thursday that a semi-submersible drilling rig should be set up early next week to capture and burn about 420,000 gallons of oil daily.

Once on board, the oil and gas collected from the well will be sent down a boom and burned at sea. Wells says testing will begin this weekend.

A drill ship already at the scene can process a maximum of 756,000 gallons of oil daily that’s sucked up through a containment cap sitting on the well head.