"For the first time in the nearly three months since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and sank off the Louisiana coast, there was no oil leaking from the blown-out Macondo well into the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday afternoon, BP said.
The well was successfully "shut in" at 2:25 p.m., so that BP could begin a critical six- to 48-hour observation period that ultimately will determine whether the well is strong enough to continue holding the oil inside of it for up to a month until it can be permanently sealed with cement.
Echoing the sentiment of Gulf Coast residents, BP Vice President Kent Wells said it felt 'very good' to no longer see oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, but he cautioned that scientists and engineers were still in the very early stages of testing the well and said results would not be known for several hours or possibly days."
Jaquetta White reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune July 15, 2010.
SEE ALSO:
"Oil Spill Capped for a Second Day, Offering Some Hope" (New York Times)
"BP Chokes off the Oil Leak; Now Begins the Wait" (AP)
"BP Oil Well Is No Longer Leaking Into The Gulf of Mexico" (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
"The Gusher is Capped (For Now)" (Mother Jones)
"BP Says Test Shuts off Oil From Ruptured Gulf Well" (Reuters)
"Obama Calls News on Oil Spill 'Positive Sign'" (AP)
"Oil Spill: BP Says Cap Works, No Oil Flow" (The Street)
"BP Shares Rise After Crude Leak Stopped" (ABC News)
"Oil Stops Gushing Into the Gulf" (New York Times)
"BP Says That Oil Flow Has Stopped as Cap Is Tested" (New York Times)
"BP: Gulf oil spill halted by cap in test" (UPI)
"Oil Leak Has Stopped, BP Reports" (Toronto Star)
"Oil Leak Stopped for First Time Since April" (Washington Post)
"BP Exec: Halt of Oil Flow a 'Great Sight'"
(AP)
