Work to permanently choke off the oil well that had been spewing into the Gulf of Mexico was at a standstill today after ships around the site were ordered to evacuate ahead of the approaching Tropical Storm Bonnie.

There had been worries that the cap that has mostly contained the oil would have to be reopened and left gushing if a major storm came through.  But engineers were confident enough in the strength of the cap that they decided to leave it sealed while most of the ships on the surface were told to leave the area.

Meanwhile, a tropical storm watch was issued early today for the northern Gulf coast from Destin, Fla., to Morgan City, La.

The storm, which blossomed over the Bahamas and was to enter the Gulf of Mexico by the weekend, could delay by another 12 days the push to plug the broken well for good using mud and cement, retired Coast Guard Adm.

Thad Allen and BP officials conceded.

Even if it's not a direct hit, the rough weather will push back efforts to kill the well by at least a week.

"While this is not a hurricane, it's a storm that will have probably some significant impacts, we're taking appropriate cautions," Allen said in Mobile, Ala.

Bonnie had maximum sustained winds near 40 mph today.