by Terrence Aym

Created on: June 09, 2010

Despite the admittedly Herculean efforts on the part of British Petroleum to contain and stop the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, the situation might have suddenly become much worse.

The main oil slick has now been measured and reaches 142 miles from the wellhead. The main oil slick...other slicks have been discovered.

New evidence confirms multiple oil leaks possibly coming from other rigs and the presence of cracking fissures that are gradually splitting open the ocean floor allowing more oil to contaminate the Gulf waters.

Sources have discovered that the Diamond Offshore drilling rig, Ocean Saratoga, is also leaking oil into the Gulf. Speculation abounds that perhaps it is the Ocean Saratoga's oil that was discovered on beaches early on during the mounting disaster. That oil sludge did not match the light crude oil that the Deepwater breach was pouring into the water. The oil—a much heavier crude—kept experts puzzled until now.

It has come to light that Diamond's rig has been leaking oil since April 30, according to federal documents just released to the public.

Satellites monitoring the Deepwater oil slick have also picked up the Ocean Saratoga slick that now is extending out about 10 miles across the Gulf.

Federal officials, mostly ineffective during the first 50 days of the ongoing BP catastrophe, now admit that the Diamond oil slick is also most likely washing up onto Louisiana's shoreline threatening more coastal life.

Several news services have attempted to obtain a statement from company officials at Diamond Offshore. The journalists were referred, however, to the Taylor Energy Company which owns the platform. Taylor contracted with Diamond regarding the rig operations. Taylor is not returning calls and so far refuses any comment.

Documents obtained by monitoring services from NOAA confirm that "oil from an additional (not Deepwater Horizon) source near platform Ocean Saratoga" has also been leaking into the Gulf. That document was dated April 30th.

Despite the new evidence, BP officials have reasserted their belief that the oil leak will be "mostly contained" with another week and virtually stopped by late August when the relief wells have been drilled and the pressure is reduced at the wellhead.

The oil company officials say they have designed a bigger, better cap and it will be used after the relief wells have been drilled.

Doug Suttles, the chief operating officer told the Associated Press that the disastrous flow of oil should be choked off "to a relative trickle" within a week.

No mention was made of the seabed fissures or other oil rig leaks.

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