BP: "Fresh" Sheen from Discarded Equipment, Not Secured Macondo Well

On Thursday, BP announced that a reported “fresh” sheen on the Gulf of Mexico seems to be coming from oil seeping out of a piece of discarded equipment used to contain the infamous 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Initial Report: Fresh Oil Sheen At Deepwater Horizon Site

Underwater surveys conducted determined that oil probably leaked from an 86-ton steel cofferdam the company lowered down to the well in efforts to funnel oil to the surface, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. This was one of the methods used by BP to contain its blown-out Macondo well over a period of several months.

This recent sheen was reported in September and was linked to the Macondo well directly through laboratory tests.

Throughout this week, BP sent remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) down to the wreck site and found that the well was secure.