New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- Crews working on the leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico will "be in a position later on today to put a containment cap over the well," retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the man in charge of the federal response team, told CNN's American Morning Monday.
He said once the cap is placed on the well, scientists will be able to gauge the pressure inside the well, then determine whether the cap will hold the oil in or if crews will need to continue siphoning up oil to relieve pressure. While robots replace the old cap, crude is flowing freely.
Allen has asked BP to conduct "integrity" testing later Monday to determine how to move forward.
