BP vice president: Crews to decide soon on next step in plugging blown well

Crews plugging BP well still face tough choices

NEW ORLEANS — BP says engineers should decide soon whether to pump cement down the throat of the blown-out Gulf of Mexico well in hopes of sealing it for good.

BP Senior Vice President Kent Wells said at a news briefing Wednesday that engineers are still considering whether to shove cement down the well from pipes attached to ships a mile above. Crews earlier were able to force the oil down with mud.

BP engineers have wrestled with whether to send cement down the well immediately as part of the so-called “static kill” or wait to do it via a relief well scheduled for completion this month.

Wells says crews should decide by late Wednesday.

The company bottled up the leak last month with a cap after it had already spewed millions of gallons, but it was always considered a temporary solution.