BP has just recently confirmed to the world that its static kill operation at the ruptured Gulf of Mexico oil well has been a big success. This has allowed the company, which has been under a lot of heat lately, to take a big step forward in permanently sealing the well for good.

Following the eight hour operation at the site, heavy drilling fluid was poured into the well. This forced the oil back down toward the reservoir. This heavy fluid is known in the drilling industry as mud. The company said in a statement that the operation allowed BP to assume control of the pressure of the well. Overall, this was the desired outcome.

The company went on to add in the statement that the well pressure is now being controlled by the hydrostatic pressure of the drilling mud. However, the situation is still being monitored. The well will continue to keep being monitored to ensure the well remains static. Further pumping of mud may or may not be required depending on the results that are observed during the monitoring.

This big breakthrough comes just about 106 days after an explosion aboard the BP leased Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20. The disaster killed 11 workers and unleashed the biggest oil spill in history. Due to this oil spill, tourism along the coast of America has been devastated. This left BP facing a flood of litigation following the accident.

Some 4.9 million barrels of oil are now thought to have leaked into the ocean around the site. This is, of course, a big threat to fish and wildlife all over the United States’ Gulf coast.