13 July, Minsk /BELTA correspondent/. A new containment dome has been installed on the damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico, according to news agencies. The cap is intended to completely stop the oil leak from the pipe. After the dome is installed, BP plans to conduct a structural integrity test. According to experts, this process will take between 6 and 48 hours. If the test is successful, BP will be able to pump all the oil that previously entered the waters of the Gulf of Mexico onto oil collection vessels. Work on replacing the dome began on July 10. BP engineers note that the installation of the dome will not completely stop the leak. It is only a temporary measure aimed at preventing oil from entering the water. The company expects the leak to be stopped only after two relief wells are drilled at the spill site. On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, owned by BP. A fire broke out afterwards. As a result of the incident, the rig sank, and oil began to leak into the water from the damaged well. BP specialists made several attempts to eliminate the consequences of the accident, but none of them managed to completely stop the oil leak. After the explosion on the rig, an oil slick formed in the Gulf of Mexico, which has already reached the coasts of Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas. The oil spill in the Gulf has already been called the largest environmental disaster in US history. To date, over 700 km of coastline have been polluted. BP's current losses due to the accident have already exceeded $3 billion. -0-

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