US Oil Spill 'Enters Loop Current' with Florida at Risk

A "small portion" of oil sheen is in the Loop Current, which circulates in the Gulf, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said. Diluted oil could appear in isolated parts of Florida if persistent winds pushed the current that way, it added.

European scientists warn the spill could reach Florida within six days. Oil has been spewing into the Gulf since the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, leased by oil giant BP, exploded off the coast of Louisiana on 20 April and sank two days later.

According to BBC News satellite images released by the European Space Agency (ESA) depict a streak of oil stretching south from
the main slick into the Loop Current – a body of fast-flowing water coming from the Caribbean which the agency says is likely to propel oil towards Florida within six days.

Scientists at the NOAA, the US government's own climate body, broadly share that analysis, but say the oil is a "light sheen" representing just a small portion of the overall amount. The oil would be "highly weathered" if it reached Florida, or could evaporate en route, it said.