BP's latest attempt to contain the gushing oil well hit snags on Wednesday as the diamond-tipped saw to shear off the well pipe became stuck under the sea, the Reuters reported on Wednesday.

NASA MODIS satellite image, taken May 23, 2010, of the Gulf of Mexico shows the extent of the oil released from the Deepwater Horizon spill. The oil can be seen as a sheen on the water surface. [Xinhua]

The company's latest plan is to cut away the leaking riser pipe protruding from the ruptured wellhead on the sea floor.

Then if the remote-controlled saws manage to slice off remaining bits of the pipe and provide a smooth foundation at the top of the well assembly, BP aims to place the containment cap with a rubber seal over the opening to siphon off most of the oil.

The saw had sliced through about half of the pipe when it ran into trouble, and it took BP 12 hours to free it.

The company said preparations were being made to resume cutting, but didn't give a timetable on when it might start. 

Ships work around a barge funnelling some of the leaking oil from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead in this aerial view over the Gulf of Mexico May 18, 2010. [Xinhua]

The latest attempt to control the leak is considered risky and if the strategy fails, the best hope is probably a relief well, which is at least two months from completion.

Since the biggest oil spill in U.S. history began to unfold April 20, crude has contaminated some 125 miles of Louisiana coastline and washed up in Alabama and Mississippi as well.

Over the past six weeks, the well has leaked anywhere from 21 million to 45 million gallons by the government's estimate.