Logs Show Coast Guard Saw Potential Threat Early

By JOHN SOLOMON and CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
NYT

Coast Guard officials grasped the potential threat of a catastrophic spill in the first days after the explosion on board the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, estimating that 64,000 to 110,000 barrels a day of crude oil could possibly gush out of the well in the event of a complete blowout, according to Coast Guard logs.

The logs provide the most detailed account of the chaotic early days of the BP disaster.

Within 24 hours of the explosion on the rig, an entry in the logs raises a concern that the oil could pour out at the rate of 8,000 barrels a day in the event of a blowout.

That estimate was raised to a potential leak of at least 64,000 barrels on April 23, showing that first responders began to understand the environmental threat to the Gulf of Mexico when Coast Guard officials detected the first signs of oil appearing on the gulf waters.

(More here.)