Oil collection from the leaking well at the Deepwater Horizon site dropped to a little more than a quarter of the maximum spillage amount estimated by the federal government. The company announced Thursday that it had captured 16,830 barrels of oil, a 40 percent reduction from the day before. The federal government has estimated that 35,000 to 60,000 barrels escape from the leak daily.
The lessened oil capture came as the company was attempting to re-install a containment cap, which can capture 18,000 barrels daily, on its failed blowout preventor. BP said it fixed the problem at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.