Houston, 27 July (Argus) — BP is expected to begin the static kill on the top its Macondo well on 2 August and will begin drilling into the bottom of the well five days after that, the US government said today.

The static kill – an operation to pump mud and other material into the top of the capped Macondo well – is expected to begin early next week if everything remains on target, according to national incident commander and former US Coast Guard admiral Thad Allen. BP will begin casing the liner in advance of the static kill, then five days after will drill into the well's annulus to complete the bottom kill, he said today.

Allen said the pressure on the well continues to rise and is currently at 6,928psi. No anomalies have been detected, and all indications show the well has integrity as BP continues to monitor it, he said.

In a separate incident today, a tug vessel pushing a dredge barge collided with a wellhead in the Barataria waterway, the US Coast Guard said. There is a light sheen around the well head as it leaks oil and gas, Allen said. So far that incident has had no impact on the Macondo response operations, according to a spokesperson for the unified command.

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