That starts off with a "junk shot, " in which material such as rubber tires and golf balls is pumped into the shut-off valve, or blowout preventer, that sits atop the well.
Other companies involved included Transocean, the owner of the rig and responsible for the safety valve known as the blowout preventer, and Halliburton, who provided cementing services.
He said in such a situation, normal procedure would be for the contractor's crew to secure the well by closing off the huge valve sitting on the seabed known as a blowout preventer.