The Russians have used a nuclear bomb to stop oil leaks five times in the past:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http://www.kp.ru/daily/24482/640124/

http://trueslant.com/juliaioffe/2010/05/04/nuke-that-slick/

Of course, context for technical solutions is everything. Don’t know the geological differences.

When is hurricane season again?