Company officials have said that BP connected a mile-long pipe Sunday to help divert a possible majority of oil gushing from a damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico.

McClatchy has reported that the oil giant said the pipe was not designed to completely cap the spill, though it is an "important step" toward a solution.

But U. S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued a joint statement saying the action "is not a solution."

The statement said, "Today (Sunday), BP attempted another test to contain some of the oil leaking from the riser. This technique is not a solution to the problem, and it is not yet clear how successful it may be. We are closely monitoring BP's test with the hope that it will contain some of the oil, but at the same time, federal scientists are continuing to provide oversight and expertise to BP as they move forward with other strategies to contain the spill and stop the flow of oil."

BP connected the pipe for about 4 hours just after midnight Sunday, sending oil, gas and water to a tanker about 5,000 feet above the sea floor. McClatchy Newspapers reported the pipe became dislodged, but was reconnected late Sunday morning.

"We're looking to optimize this over the next couple days to try to produce as much oil and gas as we can," Kent Wells, BP's senior vice president for exploration and production, said at a news conference. He said the company had not measured how much oil was being captured.

The successful test was signaled by a flare of natural gas that made it to the surface through the new pipe Saturday, the Washington Post said.

Samantha Joye, professor of marine science at the University of Georgia, told The New York Times, "If you keep those kinds of rates up, you could draw oxygen down to very low levels that are dangerous to animals in a couple of months." (With Inputs from Agencies)