Monday 18 July 2011
One of BP's oil fields in Alaska has closed after a spillage on Saturday afternoon. The Lisburne drill site was pressure testing new equipment when the incident took place.
Around 50-100 barrels of methanol and produced water have been leaked on to the drilling's gravel pads and 2,000 ft of surrounding tundra, according to estimates from the US government.
A response team has put out booms - sausage-like containment systems that trap spilled substances like oil - to fence in the leak. It has been contained on site, said a BP spokesperson.