As tropical storm Bonnie bears down on the Gulf of Mexico, BP has pulled out its flotilla of relief ships dealing with the Deepwater oil spill, and they could be off station for the best part of a week.

The company is hoping the cap will hold in place unmonitored until work can resume.

Currently pounding Florida, Bonnie’s gale force winds are expected in the disaster zone as early as tomorrow.

Another storm may be brewing, with the news from federal investigators that vital warning systems had been switched off on the rig before the explosion. They were apparently deactivated to avoid false alarms and give workers better sleep. This could shift the blame from BP onto rig operator Transocean.

Copyright © 2012 euronews