1979 Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak compared to 2010 BP Oil Leak
5/27/2010 at 8:52 PM
Same cause, solutions described in interesting video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHmhxpQEGPo
It took over 9 months to stop the leak after failing to contain the oil using a cone to cover the well, top-kill solutions.
The only thing that actually worked was drilling two relief wells to alleviate the pressure, 9 months later.
BP estimates 2-3 months for the completion of their relief wells. Judging by their ability to make good estimates in the past, the wells will probably be completed sometime next year if we're lucky.