Recently, a crude oil spill was discovered around 165 miles south-southwest of New Orleans, and was promptly contained according to the to Coast Guard. The NBC News reports that the cleanup job was completed by two companies.
The spill was discovered by Shell after flying a helicopter over it. Then, the company reported the problem to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Shell stated that it turned off its wells on the Brutus platform. The location of this platform is approximately 90 miles south of Timbalier Island, Louisiana.
After the Incident
‘Shell ‘sent boats for the cleaning of the spill and informed that no one has been injured. The company made a statement saying that the reason for the spill was probably a release of oil from subsea infrastructure. The leak was isolated and the production was stopped. The company’s statement is that no release is acceptable and that safety remains the biggest priority for Shell.
The position of the Coast Guard is that they will thoroughly investigate the reasons for this oil spill.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement reported a 2 by 13 mile or 3 by 21 km sheen which was visible in sea waters about 97 miles away from the Louisiana coast.
The Coast Guard informed that 88,200 gallons were released from the pipeline. The source of the discharge was declared to be secured.
The spill is near Shell’s Glider Field. This is a group of four subsea wells. Their production flows through a subsea manifold to the Brutus platform. This platform is located in 2,900 feet –deep waters.
The Company’s Position
According to the Shell spokesman Curtis Smith, a helicopter of the company observed the sheen on Thursday. He states that the oil wells are under control after isolating the leak. The production was shut while investigating the causes for the spill.
The oil company stated that there are no drilling activities at Brutus at this moment. This is not considered to be a well control incident.
The Brutus platform started to function in 2001. It was constructed with a maximum capacity of 100,000 oil barrels and 150 million cubic feet of gas per day.
According to the official statement of Shell, the sheen probably came from an oil release from subsea infrastructure. The company is now making an investigation which will determine the cause of the release. The subsea equipment and flowlines are now being inspected.
Authorities claim that they are investigating the causes of this massive oil spill.
Oil Well Incidents
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has tightened the official regulations for offshore operators since the 2010 BP Plc Macondo well blowout. Then, more than 3 million barrels of oil were spilled. This is considered by far the worst disaster of this kind in the US history.
After the incident on the Brutus platform, Shell claims that no injuries resulted from it. The company is now using its response vessels, including an aircraft, to try to recover the oil.