BP executive calls halt of oil flow a “great sight” but still urges caution at early stage

BP exec: Halt of oil flow a “great sight”

NEW ORLEANS — A top BP executive says the company’s success in stopping the flow of oil for the first time since April is a “great sight” but not cause for celebration.

Doug Suttles, the company’s chief operating officer, told reporters on Dauphin Island, Ala., Thursday that the effort to permanently stop the flow of oil is “far from the finish line.”

Suttles said BP PLC should know more about the effort within 48 hours, as engineers perform tests on the new, tightly fitted cap on the blown-out well. The cap is designed to be a stopgap fix until a permanent plug is injected underground.

In the meantime, Suttles cautioned that the flow of oil may resume.