BP capturing less oil than expected from spill with 760 million $

“The cost of the response to date amounts to about 760 million dollars, including the cost of the spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid and federal costs,” said in a statement.

“It is too early to quantify other potential costs and liabilities associated with the incident.” The latest estimate of costs compared with previous guidance of 625 million dollars.

The troubled company also revealed on Monday that it had retrieved between 1,360-3,000 barrels of oil per day last week from a tube inserted into the leak.

BP had estimated last Thursday that it was capturing 5,000 barrels per day but revised this down to 2,200 over the weekend.

The company added on Monday that it had now skimmed around 243,000 barrels of oily liquid from the surface of the water.

Even at the lowest estimates, more than six million gallons of crude have entered Gulf waters since the BP-operated Deepwater Horizon rig sank on April 22, two days after an explosion that claimed 11 workers’ lives.

Independent experts have warned that the true size of the spill could be at least ten times higher.