The Russian Mir submersibles are unlikely to be able to help BP tackle the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a spokesperson for the Fund for the Protection of Lake Baikal said on Monday.

Izvestia daily reported on Monday that BP's management had asked Anatoly Sagalevich of Russia's Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, which owns the mini-submarines, for assistance in eliminating the oil spill's consequences in the Gulf of Mexico.

The fund official said the Mirs had a busy schedule and the equipment for the Baikal expedition had already been sent to the east Siberian city of Irkutsk. The technical staff will soon head to the Irkutsk Region.

"So, the Mir submersibles are unlikely to take part in the elimination of the oil spill's consequences in the Gulf of Mexico," the spokesperson said.

The Gulf of Mexico oil leak started more than six weeks ago following an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform that killed 11 rig workers. An estimated 12,000-19,000 barrels gush up daily from the seabed, posing a major threat to the gulf's flora and fauna.

BP, the owner of the rig about 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the Louisiana coast, has tried with little success to stem the flow of oil. It says it is now managing to gather about 10,000 barrels of oil a day using a special plugging device attached to the head of the drill to siphon oil up to surface ships.

Sagalevich told the Izvestia daily the Mir mini-subs could stop the leakage, but it would take some time.

The expedition to Lake Baikal started in 2008. In 2009, the researchers sought new species of flora and fauna, along with the deepwater gas deposits.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made a four-hour dive to the bottom of Lake Baikal in the Mir-1 mini-submarine in August last year.

The Baikal fund's spokesperson said there also could be difficulties with the support vessels necessary for the Mir mini-subs since "the main support vessel for the Mirs, Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, is now being repaired in Germany."

The spokesperson added that the Russian government's permission would be needed for the Mirs to take part in tackling the oil spill.

MOSCOW, June 7 (RIA Novosti)