As of the morning of July 20, the newly installed cap at BP’s Macondo well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico is holding pressure, according to reports from the National Incident Command. Pressure testing was delayed yesterday on federal concerns that the tests might harm the wellbore.

As a result, incident commander Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen directed BP to do more seismic testing and monitoring from ROVs as well as acoustic and temperature monitoring for the duration of the well integrity test.

As soon as the tests conclude, containment efforts will resume with the new capping stack and other equipment, with the potential to capture up to 80,000 b/d of oil.

“We’re encouraged by this development, but this isn’t over,” said Admiral Allen. “Over the next several hours we will continue to collect data and work with the federal science team to analyze this information and perform additional seismic mapping runs in the hopes of gaining a better understanding on the condition of the well bore and options for temporary shut in of the well during a hurricane.”

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