A senior adviser to President Barack Obama says the administration is confident that BP's latest effort to contain the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will work.
At the same time, Obama adviser David Axelrod acknowledges that BP's engineers are in "uncharted waters" when it comes to dealing with the leak.
BP and Coast Guard officials hope the work on the new containment system can be completed in three to six days.
BP hopes it will result in all leaking oil being collected as engineers continue to work towards setting up a relief well. Axelrod says Obama has been briefed on the latest efforts.
Work on the new cap for the gushing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico has outpaced officials' expectations so far, with robotic submarines completing most of the removal work necessary on the broken well.
Overnight, a top flange on the leaking well was removed. That equipment has to make way for a new flange spool, a piece that will connect the new cap to the well.
The old cap, which allowed some oil to keep pouring into the Gulf, came off Saturday. That allowed millions of gallons of oil to pour almost unimpeded into the water, but officials say the new cap will form a perfect seal.
BP and Coast Guard officials hope the work can be done within three to six days.
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