Ships evacuated from Gulf as tropical storm advances

Dozens of ships in the Gulf of Mexico have been ordered to leave the site of the BP oil spill by the US government as Tropical Storm Bonnie gathers pace. Incident commander Admiral Thad Allen said the well would remain capped while ships evacuated the Gulf.

Drilling on a relief well has been suspended for up to two weeks. Bonnie is the second named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, with wind speeds of 40mph (65km/h), the US National Hurricane Center says.

Forecasters say the edge of the tropical storm could reach the spill area by early on Saturday. It has already caused flooding in Haiti, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and is moving north-west over the Bahamas, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Many of the boats and drilling rigs responding to the oil spill were preparing to move to safety from Thursday night.

According to BBC News the operation to permanently block the well would be delayed, but the safety of individuals at the well site is our highest concern. Vessels were being positioned in a way that would allow crews "to promptly re-start oil mitigation efforts as soon as the storm passes.