Q4000 ROV 1, August 3, 2010 at 6:30.pm. EDT

Gulf oil spill ‘biggest ever recorded’ Tuesday, 3 August 2010 18:15 US government scientists have said the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the biggest ever recorded. The full magnitude of the Gulf of Mexico spill, triggered in April by a rig explosion at the BP-owned well, became apparent yesterday as government scientists released revised figures showing almost 5m barrels of oil leaked before the well was temporarily capped on 15 July. This made it the world’s largest accidental release of oil, surpassing the 1979 Ixtoc well blowout in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche that gushed almost 3m barrels. AdvertisementThe scientists said only 16% of the oil has so far been captured in the clean-up operation. The oil leak was stopped by a temporary cap two weeks ago and it is expected that the final effort to plug the well will take place over the coming days. BP was hoping to attempt the first of two operations to permanently plug the ruptured well this evening, despite the technical delay of a crucial test. Optimism about the planned ‘static kill’, which will involve the injection of drilling mud into the top of the well, helped fuel a rally in BP and other energy shares yesterday. Watch live feeds of the operation However, with the peak of the annual hurricane season approaching, authorities are worried that tropical storms could disrupt the well-kill and cleanup operations. Tropical Storm Colin formed in the central Atlantic Ocean early on Tuesday, but most computer weather …