BP Cites Progress in Siphoning Oil, But Size of Spill Still Unclear

"In the Gulf of Mexico, victories remain small and sour. On Tuesday, the U.S. government announced two steps forward in the battle against the massive oil spill -- including an increase in the oil being siphoned to the surface -- and, in the process, revealed how little it still knows about the problem.

Officials said that a 'cap' placed over the leak on the gulf floor collected about 14,800 barrels (or 620,000 gallons) in the 24-hour period ending midnight Monday. But that good news was also bad news.

Since oil was still flowing out around the cap, it showed that the government's latest estimate of the leak's total size, 12,000 to 19,000 barrels a day, was probably too low. Scientists were told to try again."

David A. Fahrenthold and Dan Zak report for the Washington Post June 9, 2010.