Cleanup Vessels Evacuate Gulf as Tropical Storm Bonnie Nears

U.S. authorities ordered vessels working at the ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico to evacuate the area on Thursday evening as Tropical Storm Bonnie approached.

The rig drilling a well to intercept BP's (BP) ruptured Macondo well will also be temporarily moved, Ret. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Efforts to kill the Macondo well will be put on hold on several days. The cap that has successfully contained the well for a week will be left in place. Some had feared that evacuating the site would mean removing the cap, since it would be difficult to monitor from the shore.

"I have also directed BP to take measures to ensure the vessels operating the remotely operated vehicles are the last to leave, and the first to return in order to maximize monitoring of the well," Allen said.