BP tries smaller containment dome

NEW ORLEANS, May 10 (UPI) -- A second containment dome is ready for deployment at the main leak point of a sunken oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, BP announced Monday.

BP is responsible for controlling an oil leak from the sunken Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The rig caught fire and sank in April.

BP abandoned a first attempt to stop the flow of oil using a four-story steel containment dome, saying "a build-up of hydrates (crystallized gas) prevented a successful placement of the dome over the spill area."

The containment dome option has never been attempted in 5,000 feet of water, the company said. The first containment dome was parked on the sea bed away from the spill area.

BP is under fire for its failure to have plans in place in the event of a catastrophic event in the Gulf of Mexico.

Nansen Saleri, a former executive at Saudi Aramco, told The Wall Street Journal the spill was the result of a "catastrophic failure of risk management." BP spokesman Andrew Gowers, however, said the underwater methane explosion that was likely the result of the fire that sunk the rig was an "unprecedented" event.

BP and Transocean, the owner of the rig, face questions Tuesday before U.S. lawmakers.