BP has installed a tightly-fitted sealing cap onto the Deepwater Horizon well in continued efforts to stem the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

BP has announced it has installed a new sealing cap to the oil well in the Gulf of Mexico to stem the leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

The company just completed the installation yesterday (12 July) with the implementation of a three ram capping stack.

It is hoped that the sealing cap will stop the leak and capture the oil before it causes more damage to an area that has been ravaged by the spill.

The new sealing cap is replacing the older, LMRP cap, which only managed to contain around half the oil escaping from the well. The new, more tightly-fitted cap should prove more effective.

Since the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig in April this year, thousands of barrels worth of oil have been pouring into the Gulf of Mexico, wreaking havoc on surrounding wildlife and devastating the fishing and tourist industry.

Well integrity testing, which will begin today and could last for up to 48 hours, will provide information to federal government agencies on how best to proceed with this disaster.

However, BP warned that the installed cap system had never been deployed at these depths nor under these specific conditions, and therefore its efficiency could not be predicted.

The relief well operation is continuing and is due to be completed mid-August and has been stated by BP as the sole means of permanently sealing and isolating the well.

BP has spent $3.5 billion (£2.3m) on the response so far and has experienced drops in share value since the start of the leak.