Vessels returning to Gulf spill area after Bonnie weakens

While rough weather is still expected to directly to affect the area, Bonnie broke apart as it crossed Florida and moved into the Gulf.

“This is very good news because we left the cap in place,” Allen said. “We continue to have integrity at the well head. The pressure continues to rise.”

Jane Lubchenco, the head of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the storm has “weakened considerably” and that all tropical storm warnings have been discontinued. The maximum sustained winds are at 30 miles per hour and no increase is expected. A significant storm surge is also not expected, she said.

The storm could push more oil onto the shoreline but could also pull it away from other areas. “The less power of the storm, the less potential of transporting [oil] into the marshes and bayous,” she said on the conference call. “Bottom line is it is better than it might have been.”

Allen had ordered the vessels to evacuate the area Friday before the storm. It will take another three to five days before drill rig workers can start “static kill,” which involves blasting in heavy mud and cement from the top of the well. “We’re going to be playing a cat-and-mouse game for the remainder of the hurricane season,” Allen said.

Drilling of a relief well may resume by Monday and it could take until Wednesday to finish installing steel casing to fortify the relief shaft, Allen said.