The Oil Rig Problem

Seems to me that there is a brig problem with the leaky pipe.

1000 barrels of oil a day are spewing out of the bottom of the ocean with no end in sight.

As fishermen quiver about their future, and wildlife experts bemoan all possible courses of action.. it's still out of control!?

While those in 'control' consider burning off some of the floating oil. Air pollution 'experts' cry about a temporary plume of black smoke from a product that is destined to be burned while forgetting the massive effort, expense and environmental catastrophe of letting it wash ashore.

Cough Cough.. ..Icelandic volcano?

Currently large fleets of boats are skimming the surface and lugging miles of containment floats around.. These boats are working non stop ..but how much can they do? What can they do that trey are not doing now?

...Those behind the current efforts are failing at capping the pipe with the use of robotics.

Other ideas include capping the pipe with cement.. after weeks of letting the pressure off through a series of yet to be drilled temporary wells?

and there's the idea of collecting the oil with a big undersea funnel. When?

............

I'm just wondering? what can be done right away?

Obviously the problem is deep underwater..

making every move expensive, difficult, and time consuming..

Can't we scrap a water tower and use it as a funnel?

reinforce it on the outside instead of inside.. . add some fittings to connect it to the surface pumps.. and drop it upside down over the broken pipe?

what about sinking (lowering) a modified ship right over it? and continually pumping out it's contents?

I'm probably way off.. It's a frustrating problem.

I would have assumed that those in the industry would have had this situation figured out a long time ago... ..oh yeah.. "robots"

Are bags of feathers the biggest leap in oil spill technology?