La Jornada – Crude oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico blocks 61,000 barrels per day in the United States

About 61,165 barrels of daily oil production from at least six producers has been blocked due to a leak from Third Coast Infrastructure’s subsea pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.

The 108-kilometre pipeline was shut down by Third Coast subsidiary Main Pass Oil Gathering Co. (MPOG) on Thursday last week after crude oil was discovered about 30 kilometers off the coast of the Mississippi River Delta, near Plaquemines, S.E. New Orleans.

Oil producers whose facilities were affected include W&T Energy, Western Oil, Walter Oil and Gas, Cantium, Arena Offshore and Talos Energy Ventures, the Coast Guard said in a statement, citing estimates from the U.S. Office of Safety and Environmental Control.

While the exact volume of oil spilled is unknown, the Coast Guard, which is leading the cleanup effort, said initial estimates put the spill at 1.1 million gallons, or 26,190 barrels of crude oil.

It has not yet been determined whether Third Coast is responsible for the spill, as oil extraction efforts continued and underwater devices examined the pipeline to find the source of the leak, officials said during a press conference on Tuesday.

The authorities added that so far no injuries or impacts have been reported on the coast, and the waterway remains open to all commercial and recreational ship traffic.

The US Environmental Protection Agency said that the Coast Guard is coordinating with 15 federal agencies charged with responding to oil pollution incidents, while the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the spill.