Burn-off starts in Gulf oil disaster

The US Coast Guard has successfully completed a controlled burn of a portion of the oil slick off the Gulf Coast.

It was the first such burn since last week because of rough seas and strong winds in recent days.

A test burn last week succeeded in burning off some of the oil that has been floating on the surface of the water since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded April 20.

While the Coast Guard completed that burn, a 100-ton box to help funnel out oil spewing from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico was loaded onto a barge to begin its journey to the leak site 70km off the Louisiana coast.

Tens of thousands of gallons of crude a day have been spewing from a damaged wellhead in the Gulf since the oil rig operated by energy giant BP exploded and sank. Eleven crewmembers were never found after the explosion and are presumed dead.

The giant-concrete-and-steel box known as a 'cofferdam' that is heading to the site is thought to be the best short-term solution to bottling up the spill that threatens sealife and livelihoods along the Gulf Coast.

BP spokesman John Curry said the cofferdam would be deployed on the seabed by tomorrow and hooked up to a drill ship over the weekend.

The developments involving the cofferdam came after word that BP engineers had stopped one of three oil leaks from the damaged wellhead using remote-operated vehicles.

That feat now allows BP officials to focus on sending out the cofferdam to attack the larger leak, said a BP spokesman.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said it would approve mobilising up to 17,500 National Guard troops to help Gulf Coast states with the oil spill.

- AP