BP watching containment dome

NEW ORLEANS, May 7 (UPI) -- The effectiveness of a 100-ton containment dome is under review after its deployment at the sunken Deepwater Horizon oil rig, BP announced Friday.

BP dispatched the 13,440-cubic-foot structure to the site of a sunken oil rig off the coast of Louisiana in an effort to control oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig sank in the gulf after catching fire in April. The oil slick from the site threatens sensitive marshlands of the southern coast of the United States

BP said it would be possible to assess the effectiveness of the solution once the dome is situated and connected properly. This is the first time such an operation has been attempted at 5,000 feet below the surface of the water.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard, BP and Florida environmental officials said they set up an incident command post in St. Petersburg, Fla., to plan a response effort in the event of oil reaching the west coast of Florida.

Keith Seilhan, a Florida representative for BP, said there is no immediate threat to the Florida coast, however.