Gulf of Mexico’s 14-Year Oil Leak Finally Contained

[thackney]

Gulf of Mexico’s 14-Year Oil Leak Finally Contained
https://gcaptain.com/gulf-of-mexico-14-year-old-oil-spill-contained/
May 16, 2019



A team of contractors has finally contained an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that has been spewing from the site of a damaged platform for more than 14 years.

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed Thursday that teams successfully deployed a subsea system that is able to contain and collect oil being discharged from the site of a toppled platform approximately 11 miles south of the mouth of Mississippi River. The containment system is now actively collecting oil, the Coast Guard said.

The platform, owned by Taylor Energy, LLC, was located in Mississippi Canyon Block 20. It toppled in September 2004 during Hurricane Ivan after storm surge triggered an underwater mudslide. The incident left the platform well conductor pipes buried in more than 100 feet of mud and sediment, impacting 25 of 28 connected wells.....

[thackney]

https://www.nola.com/environment/2019/05/taylor-energy-spill-contained-after-14-years-coast-guard.html

...Taylor Energy is responsible for the spill, which began in 2004 when Hurricane Ivan triggered an underwater mudslide that toppled a platform and damaged 25 connected wells. While several wells were plugged and containment domes were installed, a sheen continued to be seen on the water surface above the downed platform.

A 2018 report based on an independent analysis of satellite imagery by geoscientist Oscar Pineda-Garcia concluded that the leak is in the magnitude of 249 barrels to 697 barrels per day, far exceeding previous estimates. Taylor Energy disputes the report findings. The company has said that the sheen is the result of contaminated sediment on the seafloor, not an active leak.

But after the 2018 report was released, the U.S. Coast Guard ordered Taylor Energy to take action to contain the spill under the Clean Water Act. Arguing that the company failed to do so, the U.S. Coast Guard hired a private contractor based out of Belle Chasse to contain the leak.

The containment device is now fully installed and capturing oil. “After monitoring the system for several weeks we have determined that the system is meeting federal containment standards,” Capt. Kristi Luttrell, the Coast Guard’s federal on-scene coordinator for the incident, is quoted as saying in a news release. “At this time the system is working and the once predominately large surface sheen has been reduced to barely visible. We will continue to monitor the containment system’s performance and make necessary adjustments to maximize containment of the spill.”...