GULF OF MEXICO – AUGUST 03: (EDITORS NOTE: Distortion caused by heat.) Ships work near the site of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill on August 3, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. BP is to begin plugging the damaged oil well today with a «static kill», by pumping mud into it. A new estimate puts the total amount of oil leaked into the Gulf at 205.8 million gallons. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)