Deepwater exploration plan in the Gulf of Mexico of Shell Offshore Inc. has received approval from Interior Department. The department has revealed that the project meets the safety standards.

The project has been proposed after a research group that went into the Gulf of Mexico immediately after the spill found famous plumes of oil and natural gas. The incident of oil spill took place in April 2010.

The oil came out of the well surface where it was evaporating and dispersing either naturally or through chemicals. Researchers from the University of Southern Mississippi and University of Mississippi found that nearly 90% of the gas in the spill was methane. The underwater plumes were 3 to 5 kilometers wide and 10 to 20 kilometers long. The remote satellite sensing of the spill revealed that the spill was at least five to 10 times higher than the reported rates.

The Director of Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, Michael R. Bromwich says that the project proposed by Shell satisfies the environmental standards and can operate with the same standards. Bromwich added that still the final approval of the project requires drilling permit.