Cleanup of 15-barrel oil spill in Barataria Bay under way
Contractors are attempting to recover as much as 15 barrels of crude oil released from an Extex Operating platform near Turtle Bay, about 9 1/2 miles south of the Jean Contractors are working to recover up to 15 barrels of crude oil from an Extex Operating platform near Turtle Bay, Louisiana. The incident occurred about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, when the Coast Guard received a report of the release. Initial estimates put the discharge at approximately 10-15 barrels or 420-610 gallons of a crude oil mixture. The wellhead where the release was occurring has been secured and Extex has hired two contractors: AMPOL and Forefront. The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident and overseeing cleanup efforts. As of Monday morning, 2,500 feet of containment boom, two boom trailers, seven pickup trucks, three response vessels, two skimming vessels and four mudboats have been assigned to the cleanup.
نشرت : منذ عامين بواسطة MARK SCHLEIFSTEIN | Staff writer في Environment
Contractors are attempting to recover as much as 15 barrels of crude oil released from an Extex Operating platform near Turtle Bay, about 9 1/2 miles south of the Jean Lafitte Harbor, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard received a report of the release at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday. A team of LSU researchers in Turtle Bay also videoed the release on Saturday, showing crude oil spewing from a pipe atop the platform into the open water of Barataria Bay.
"The initial estimates put the discharge at approximately 10-15 barrels or 420-610 gallons of a crude oil mixture," said a statement issued by the Coast Guard. The wellhead that was the source of the release has been secured, and Extex hired two contractors to respond to the spill: AMPOL, for equipment and personnel, and Forefront, to act as an emergency management consultant, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Graves in a statement. "The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident and is overseeing cleanup efforts," Graves said. A "unified command" including Extex as owner of the platform, the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, the state departments of Environmental Quality and Wildlife and Fisheries, and NOAA, was established to help the cleanup oversight.
As of Monday morning, 2,500 feet of containment boom, two boom trailers, seven pickup trucks of equipment, three response vessels, two skimming vessels and four mudboats had been assigned to the cleanup. DEQ officials visited the site by boat on Sunday and plan to inspect it again on Tuesday, said Gregory Langley, an agency spokesperson. Officials with Houston, Texas,-based Extex did not respond to requests for information about this spill, or five other small oil release incidents reported to the Coast Guard's National Response Center earlier this year. The other incidents involved other platforms in Terrebonne Bay. A spokesperson with the state Department of Natural Resources, which oversees drilling permits in Louisiana waters, said it also is investigating this latest incident.
المواضيع: ESG