国际英语新闻：BP plans to start "static kill" to permanently plug leaking well Tuesday

HOUSTON, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- British oil giant BP plans to start the "static kill" procedure to seal the blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, after a crucial test is conducted Monday to determine whether it will work, a senior BP official said.

If the "injectivity test" conducted Monday shows crews are able to pump "base oil" down the ruptured well bore and back into a reservoir 13,000 feet below, BP will start the so-called "static kill" procedure to plug the leaking well once and for all sometime Tuesday, BP senior vice president Kent Wells said Monday.

The procedure would begin Tuesday and likely run into Wednesday, said Wells. In the "static kill," mud would be poured down into the well, possibly followed by cement.

Support vessels sit at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast July 23, 2010.

The data gathered from the "injectivity test" would be analyzed Monday for officials to determine whether adjustments need to be made on "how and if" the "static kill" procedure will take place Tuesday, Wells said.

The "static kill" would be followed by a "bottom kill" after a relief well intercepts the underwater gusher, according to Wells.

However, he said, if the "injectivity test" failed, then the "static kill" would be skipped and the "bottom kill" would proceed.