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BP's containment cap over a ruptured Gulf of Mexico well was removed Wednesday after a robotic vehicle apparently bumped into a cap vent and closed it, raising the possibility of hydrates forming, said Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government's response manager.

Allen also said that two oil recovery workers in the Gulf of Mexico have died. One died in a swimming accident; the other was an operator of a boat, he said.

Also Wednesday, the embattled oil giant tapped its managing director to lead a new and permanent oil disaster organization in the Gulf.

Dudley was appointed president and chief executive officer of BP's Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, BP said in a statement.

Dudley said the new organization was designed to enable BP to push more of the company's resources toward the overall recovery effort and to make sure the claims process is transferred smoothly to Kenneth Feinberg, the independent director of BP's $20 billion compensation fund.

“Meantime, we'll continue to write the checks, pay the claims and make sure that we're there for a long time, many years, not only after the well is stopped, but the cleanup," Dudley told CNN's American Morning. "This is the first step."
Speculation had abounded that BP's top executive, Tony Hayward, would step aside after a grilling in Congress and criticism over public relations gaffes

Dudley will still report to Hayward, who remains as BP's group chief executive, but he will be the new point man in the daily disaster response. Hayward said in BP's statement Wednesday that Dudley, who grew up in Mississippi, has "a deep appreciation and affinity for the Gulf Coast."

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