As much as 1.1 million gallons of oil may have leaked into the Gulf of Mexico, according to the US Coast Guard (USCG), after an oil sheen was spotted off the southeast coast of Louisiana last Thursday. Whilst a task force overseen by the USGC is attempting to mitigate the impact of the spill, there are concerns about how it could affect wildlife in these waters.
The oil leak was initially reported by the Third Coast Midstream pipeline company, and an overflight later that day confirmed a slick 4.8 to 6.4 kilometers (3 to 4 miles) wide. Since that time, skimming vessels have been deployed to recover oil from the surface and remotely operated vehicles and divers have teamed up to identify the source of the leak.
The USCG has stated that “the cause of the incident is under investigation.” Though not yet confirmed, it’s thought that the leak may have originated from the Main Pass Oil Gathering (MPOG) company’s (owned by Third Coast Midstream) pipeline system. The pipeline, which was closed on Thursday morning before the spill was reported, is 108 kilometers (67 miles) in length; around a third of that has been inspected, but a source is yet to be identified.
Although initial calculations from the USCG suggest that up to 1.1 million gallons of crude oil may have been released, the exact volume isn’t known. “We’re not saying that was the exact amount,” said Capt. Kelly Denning, commanding officer for the Coast Guard’s New Orleans sector, in a press briefing reported by NOLA.com. “We are not going to know the exact amount of oil that was discharged into the Gulf of Mexico until we find the source.”
In the meantime, the USCG has stated that “the Unified Command is coordinating with federal, state and local agencies to ensure the safety of the public, protect the environment, and respond to the incident.”
No injuries to people have been reported as a result of the leak, but there are concerns about the impact it may have on wildlife, both in water and if the oil reaches the shore. The Gulf of Mexico is home to many endangered species, including Rice’s whales, which were hit hard by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.
“Ocean wildlife will almost certainly pay a terrible price for this huge pipeline spill, which is less an accident than an entirely predictable consequence of offshore oil operations,” said Kristen Monsell of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Oceans program in a post to X (formerly known as Twitter).
In a statement released on Tuesday, the USCG reported that both wildlife and shoreline assessments conducted on the same day had not observed any shoreline oiling, nor any oiled wildlife. However, a Wildlife Hotline Number has been established in case such an incident does occur.
“The Coast Guard continues to oversee the coordinated effort to mitigate the impact of the oil discharge.”
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