BP oil leak worse than previously thought, reports say (70,000 bbl per day)

[jpak]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bp-oil-leak-worse-than-previously-thought-2010-05-14?dist=beforebell

Scientists and environmentalists believe the U.S. government's estimate of the oil flow from the leaking Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico is unrealistically low, according to reports.

While the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said 5,000 barrels a day are pouring out of the pipe from BP PLC's (BP 48.10, -0.40, -0.82%) (UK:BP. 535.90, -11.70, -2.14%) well, separate reports from National Public Radio and The New York Times said the rate is likely many times greater.

<snip>

NPR reported late Thursday that scientific analysis of a video of the leak, released Wednesday by BP, put the rate closer to 70,000 barrels a day, making the resulting spill already far worse than the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident in Alaska. See video of BP's oil leak.

The report cited analysis by Steve Werely of Purdue University, who used a technique he said was accurate to about 20%.

<more>

[Xipe Totec]

1. Exxon Valdez spilled 250,000 Barrels total, so 4 days = 1 Exxon Valdez

Assuming BP manages to use the top hat to collect 100% of the oil and transfer it to a supertanker, it would mean that they need one empty supertanker every four days just to keep up with the oil spill.

They expect the relief well to take 90 days to complete, so that's around 22 supertanker's worth of crude they would need to collect, and unload somewhere.

Question: Where are they planning to get enough spare supertankers to do the job?