"We're watching every piece of data," said BP Vice President Kent Wells in a conference call with reporters Saturday. "We feel more comfortable that we have integrity."

No oil has visibly leaked out of the Macondo well since the cap was sealed Thursday and the pressure in the well is high enough to indicate that the well likely isn't leaking, Wells said.

BP: Tallying the damage

"We're watching each and every piece of information," stated BP Vice President Kent Wells inside a conference call with reporters Saturday. "We really feel additional comfortable that we have integrity."

No oil has visibly leaked out in the Macondo effectively because the cap was sealed Thursday as well as the stress inside the properly is large ample to show the fact that perfectly most likely isn't leaking, Wells proclaimed.
BP: Tallying the harm

Jeff Ball looks at the environmental fallout in the 86-day oil spill with the Gulf of Mexico.

Preliminary seismic surveys show the fact that seafloor all around the perfectly hasn't ruptured, though far more surveys, by BP and government scientists, are underway to make sure that no oil or gas is leaking in the good or even the seafloor.

BP /quotes/comstock/13*!bp/quotes/nls/bp (BP 37.10, -1.82, -4.68%) explained Friday that preliminary test outcomes show the fact that new cap is keeping the oil underground inside a reservoir that was likely depleted much more than initially thought.

The positive information shows the fact that well's interior was most likely undamaged right after the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig in which 11 platform workers died. The rig sank on April 22. Even though exact figures aren't confirmed, the spill has turn out to be the largest oil spill in U.S. history, according to estimates with the flow rate, which would total hundreds of millions of gallons.

BP executives, pressured by President Obama, have agreed to generate a $20 billion spill response fund that may support pay for cleanup and claims. The company's stock and marketplace capitalization have plunged whilst it has spent much more than $3 billion in attempts to shut off the oil flow and limit its spread.

Measurements from the past week showed no oil coming out from the effectively, Wells stated. When oil and gas have been flowing by means of the nicely, they heated up the nicely bore, but following the hydrocarbons had been sealed under the cap, the temperature in the nicely bore dropped to exactly the same amount as the seawater all-around it, Wells says.

Acoustic sensing surveys and sonar scanning also have turned up no evidence that oil is flowing in the perfectly or even the seafloor, Wells mentioned. Still, he explained much more info are required.

The stress inside the effectively on Saturday reportedly rose to 6,745 pounds per square inch from 6,700 psi on Friday, Wells proclaimed. To be certain with no a doubt the perfectly isn't leaking would need a reading of 8,000 to 9,000 pounds per square inch.

The present degree is substantial adequate to show that an oil leak is unlikely, but low good enough to make scientists wonder no matter if there could possibly be a hidden leak somewhere or no matter whether the reservoir beneath the seafloor has merely been depleted as oil has gushed out over the past 3 months.

Whilst BP scientists believe the stress reading is known as a result of a lower reservoir degree, they're pressing on with measurements to rule out any other aspects, Wells mentioned.

Rebecca L. McClay is known as a MarketWatch reporter based in San Francisco.