BP To Deploy Spill-Containing Dome Over 'Next Few Days'

BP PLC (BP, BP.LN) said Thursday that it will deploy a top hat-shaped dome to contain a massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill over the next few days, perhaps possibly next week.

Company officials had previously predicted that the dome would be in place by the end of this week. BP spokesman Jon Pack said that the dome, which is about half the size of a barrel of oil, would be in place in the "next few days," which "could get into next week."

"Things are fairly fluid," he added.

The small containment mechanism was proposed after the company's plan to place a giant dome failed on Sunday. A rapidly freezing mix of natural gas and water blocked a 12-inch opening at the top of the large dome, and BP hoped that using a smaller dome would keep that from happening.

The spill resulted from the explosion and sinking in April of the Transocean Ltd., (RIG, RIGN.EB) Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which was finishing a well for the London oil giant. Eleven members of the crew were killed by the blast, and the spill threatens the shore of several Gulf Coast states. It also risks undermining U.S. appetite for offshore drilling.

-By Angel Gonzalez, Dow Jones Newswires; 713-547-9214;angel.gonzalez@dowjones.com

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