BP plans to capture 20,000 bpd from leaking well

WASHINGTON/VENICE, Louisiana (Reuters) - British energy giant BP Plc plans to double the amount of oil it is capturing from its ruptured Gulf of Mexico well to 20,000 barrels per day, the U.S. Coast Guard admiral leading the government relief effort said on Monday.

The figure underscored some scientists' concerns that the May 27 government estimate of the amount of oil billowing from the mile-deep (1.6 km) well, 12,000-19,000 bpd, may be on the low side. The spill is already the worst in U.S. history.

During the weekend, BP announced advances in controlling the undersea leak through a containment cap over the blown-out wellhead, giving estimates of captured oil that suggest a significant portion of the escaping crude is being collected.

But a live video feed of the seabed leak still shows black crude billowing into the sea, and BP and government officials have said a definitive solution will not come until August when a relief well is drilled. This is intended to intersect the leaking well and allow it to be sealed.

One high-end government estimate has put the leak at 25,000 bpd, five times London-based BP's original estimate of 5,000 bpd.

"We still don't know what the flow rate is. That's the big unknown right now," Allen said.

A total of 21,600 barrels of oil was collected by the cap on Saturday and Sunday, BP said.

Allen said even after the well is eventually plugged, the United States would be dealing with the spill for another four to six weeks. About 120 linear miles of coast line have been affected by the spill, he said.

Allen was speaking at a briefing at the White House, which has sought in recent days to counter a public perception that the Obama administration has not brought the full force of the federal government to bear on the crisis.

BP shares, which have lost about one-third of their value since the crisis began, were slightly higher in London trading. BP's American depositary shares trading in New York rose 1.8 percent in early dealings.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said BP would be spending billions of dollars in penalties for the oil spill.

"They are the responsible party. They are going to bear the costs there," Gibbs said. "Those costs are likely to greatly exceed what the oil that is recouped is sold for on the market ... there will be penalties that are involved in this in the many billions of dollars."

The United States wants BP to get better at handling claims from people affected by the spill, Allen said. Allen said he had raised the issue with the company's chief executive, Tony Hayward.

(Additional reporting by Bruce Nichols in Houston, Tom Brown in Miami, Jeff Mason in Kenner, Louisiana, Kelli Dugan in Orange Beach, Alabama, Jane Ross in Pensacola; Writing by Pascal Fletcher and Ross Colvin; Editing by Will Dunham)