Gov't Demands Details on BP Containment Efforts

Updated 1:22 p.m. ET

Rough weather forecasts in the Gulf of Mexico could force BP and Obama administration officials to speed up plans to connect a third containment vessel to the blown-out undersea oil well.

Workers had planned to replace the current "top cap" with a "sealing cap" first, then connect a containment vessel that could collect 25,000 barrels of oil per day. Officials are now considering a plan to replace the cap and hook up the containment vessel simultaneously. That would temporarily decrease the amount of oil being contained.

National incident commander Thad Allen sent BP a letter demanding details about contingency plans in the event they have to proceed with the simultaneous maneuver or if the sealing cap installation fails, including due to severe weather. The oil company has 24 hours to respond.

Special Section: Gulf Coast Oil Disaster
Thad Allen's July 8 Letter to BP

There are currently two vessels siphoning oil from the gushing undersea well: the Discovery Enterprise, which captures an estimated 15,000 barrels of oil a day, and the Q-4000, which captures about 10,000 barrels a day.

Crews are working to connect a third ship, the Helix Producer, which would help another 25,000 barrels daily.

If everything works as planned, officials hope the total capture capacity could increase to 80,000 barrels daily with the sealing cap, reports CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller.

One official said it would bring the operation "closer to full containment."

Allen also responded to reports that BP is aiming to complete its dual relief wells in late July rather than mid-August, saying it's possible but a lot of things would have to go right.

"It could happen, but I'm not going to assume that. I've been around you folks long enough to know that we need to under-promise and over-deliver," Allen said at a media briefing Thursday.

Allen said that crews expect to reach the existing well and drill into its outer casing in seven to 10 days.

If the oil is coming up through all the different rings of the well, then it will likely take until the middle of August to stanch the flow with mud and cement. If it's only coming up the well's center pipe, it could be sooner.

The official target date, offered by both BP and the U.S. Coast Guard, remains mid-August.

According to a Thursday report in the Wall Street Journal, the company's new goal for the relief wells coincides with the its second-quarter earnings report - due out July 27 - as officials are eager to show investors that the energy giant has gained control over the financial liabilities associated with the spill.

The company is also looking to show progress on its response efforts ahead of the July 20 meeting between President Barack Obama and new British Prime Minister David Cameron.

In addition to trying to speed up completion of the dual relief wells being drilled to meet the leaking Macondo well - long considered the best hope for cutting off the gusher - BP is already considering "backups to the backup" in case that operation fails.

Those backup plans were developed under pressure from the federal government, the Journal reported, and include a scheme "connecting the rogue well to existing pipelines in two nearby underwater gas and oil fields."