DOW JONES NEWSWIRES BP PLC's (BP, BP.LN) oil-recovery operations slowed modestly during the first 12 hours of Monday. Although Tropical Storm Alex--the first named storm of the 2010 hurricane season--veered away from the flotilla of responders above the broken well in the Gulf of Mexico, experts warned that strong waves and winds could disrupt efforts to contain and halt the oil spill. A company official said earlier Monday that Alex may delay plans to increase the amount of oil collected from the well by a week. The U.K. energy giant said it retrieved 11,070 barrels of crude Monday morning, 7,020 barrels of which were collected and 4,050 barrels of which were flared. That's down 11% from its previous half-day rate Sunday night. A team of scientists has estimated that about 35,000 to 60,000 barrels are flowing from the broken well every day. BP has been under intense pressure to successfully contain the spewing oil, which began in April when a deep-water drilling rig exploded and sank. Its plans to drill relief wells are due to be completed in August, at which point it would pump heavy drilling fluids into the existing well to restrict the oil flow, allowing it to be plugged with cement. BP American depositary shares were up 2 pennies at $27.07 in after-hours trading. The stock has lost more than half its value since the oil leak began. -By Joan E. Solsman, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2291; joan.solsman@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires June 28, 2010 19:33 ET (23:33 GMT)