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BP resumes drilling relief well

NEW ORLEANS — The government’s point man on the Gulf oil spill says BP has resumed drilling a relief well meant to intersect the blown-out well and seal it for good.

NEW ORLEANS — The government’s point man on the Gulf oil spill says BP has resumed drilling a relief well meant to intersect the blown-out well and seal it for good.

Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said Monday that cement forced down from the top of the crippled well last week has hardened enough that workers could begin drilling the final 100 feet of the relief well.

Engineers were drilling 20 or 30 feet (6 to 9 metres) at a time, pausing to make sure they were still on the correct course to hit the broken well. It could be the week’s end before the wells intersect.

The relief well will be used to permanently seal the source of the oil that spilled into the Gulf for nearly three months.