The cofferdam leak is thought to have been the source of an oil sheen spotted in the vicinity of the Macondo well after small intermittent drops of oil coming from the cofferdam’s stovepipe and one of the connection ports was observed by a remotely operated vehicle.
A mixture of oil and slushy methane hydrates was trapped inside the cofferdam — that was intended to serve as a containment dome during the Macondo oil well spill response.
The
