FACTBOX-Developments in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill

June 9 (Reuters) - Here are developments in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the largest in U.S. history:

SPILL CONTAINMENT EFFORTS

* BP (BP.L) (BP.N) said it collected 7,920 barrels of oil in the first 12 hours of Wednesday with its containment cap system, a faster pace than on Tuesday when the total collection for the day was a little more than 15,000 barrels. [ID:nWEN5706]

* That brings the cumulative total for 5 1/2 days to more than 65,000 barrels.

* Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said by next week BP would bring in equipment that could handle up to 28,000 barrels per day, 3,000 barrels more than the highest estimate to date of spill volume. [ID:nLDE658211]

OIL SLICK THREAT

* BP continued to play down reports of an undersea oil plume. "We have not found any significant concentration of oil below the surface," BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Wednesday.

* Northwest Florida officials warned the public not to swim on 6 miles (10 km) of oil-hit beach on Perdido Key from the Alabama-Florida boundary to the Gulf Islands Seashore national park.

* The spill could put nearly 195,000 Floridians out of work and cost the state $10.9 billion, according to a study by University of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith.

POLITICS

* The U.S. Justice Department said it was considering court action to insure BP does not deplete spill damage funds by paying dividends. [ID:nN09179229]

* A key congressman said BP should delay paying shareholder dividends to insure it is able to pay claims. [ID: nRTV113066]

* The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman introduced legislation to toughen prison sentences for corporate officials found guilty of environmental crimes. [ID:nN09158216]

* Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar told a Senate panel on Wednesday he expected BP to pay the salaries of oil workers laid off because of the six-month U.S. moratorium on deepwater drilling. [ID:nWNA3076]

* Salazar also told the panel the government could lift the moratorium sooner than six months if it received a commission's regulatory reform recommendations before that period ends. [ID:nWNA3076]

* President Barack Obama was planning to visit the Gulf Coast again next week [ID:nN0893671]

* BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward will testify before a U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce subcommittee on June 17, a company spokesman said. [ID:nN08272907]

COMPANY NEWS

* A BP source told Reuters the company could be headed for a showdown with the White House over ever-increasing demands that it cover oil spill costs. [ID:nLDE6582NC]

* The cost of insuring debt of companies involved in the spill against default hit new highs on Wednesday. [ID:nN09164382]

* BP bought search terms such as "oil spill" from Internet companies including Google (GOOG.O) to direct inquiries to its website. [ID:nN09162951]

* BP depositary shares (BP.N) fell nearly 16 percent in New York after falling more than 4 percent in London (BP.L).

* The shares of offshore oil and gas driller Transocean Ltd RIGN.S (RIG.N) fell 8 percent.

* BP in its annual energy review on Wednesday said oil output in the Gulf of Mexico increased 390,000 bpd, triple the previous high in annual growth. BP also said world oil consumption fell by 1.2 million bpd in 2009 due to the recession. [ID:nLDE6582H2]

GLOBAL REACTION

* Premiers of two Canadian coastal provinces backed offshore drilling, saying tighter rules would prevent disasters. [ID:nN09271563]

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"If we can get this thing up to 28,000 barrels per day, that's where we want to be," the Coast Guard's Allen told reporters in a conference call, referring to BP's plan to increase capacity to recover spilled oil.