New Cap, Ships Could Contain Gulf Leak by Monday

The site of the oil gusher.

The federal official leading the Gulf oil spill cleanup says a new containment cap and an additional ship collecting oil could effectively contain the spill as early as Monday.

National Incident Commander Thad Allen said Friday that the work to replace a leaky containment cap on the well head with a tighter one will begin Saturday.

At the same time, a ship connecting to a different part of leak is expected to come online Sunday.

If all goes according to plan, the combination could collect all of the oil leaking from the seafloor.

Work continues on what officials hope will be the ultimate solution: a pair of relief wells intercepting the leaking well far below the seafloor.