Gulf ports remain open after spill

Gulf ports remain open after spill    The entrance to the Mississippi River remains free of oil and deep-draft navigation remains unrestricted in New Orleans and at other Gulf ports following the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig catastrophe.
   The Port of New Orleans said Monday evening that the Associated Branch Pilots have not encountered any oil from the rig accident as they guide vessels over the Bar between Southwest Pass and its entrance in the Gulf of Mexico.
   The port said projections from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that neither light sheen nor heavy oil are expected to be present at Southwest Pass through Thursday morning. Forecasters are not able to make reliable projections beyond Thursday.
   A Marine Safety Information Bulletin notice issued Monday evening by the Captain of the Port of Mobile said the status for the ports of Mobile, Pascagoula, Gulfport, Pensacola and Panama City were all normal.
   “The Captain of the Port Mobile’s intent is to continue facilitating the movement of all marine traffic throughout the duration of the oil spill response,” said the bulletin. “Vessel traffic is highly encouraged to avoid spill areas during voyages.”
   The Port of New Orleans noted that as a precaution, two cleaning stations have been established in the Mississippi River, but no vessels have needed to be cleaned.
   Meanwhile workers are continuing to work on building a giant collection device that BP hopes to bring to the site of the Deepwater Horizon collapse and use to divert oil from broken pipes on the rig into tankers or barges. Construction of the giant funnel or dome is expected to be completed by the end of the week.
   The semisubmersible rig Development Drill III began drilling a relief well on Monday. The relief well is designed to drill down and intersect the existing well bore and pump heavy fluids and cement in to stop the leaking oil, said the Coast Guard.
   Pictures of the rig drilling the relief well and the ship that would be used to bring the collection device to the damaged well are here.
   Meanwhile, following the spill, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger withdrew support for plans to expand oil exploration off his state, saying he has changed his mind about the safety of oil platforms in the Pacific Ocean. ' Chris Dupin