UPDATED
US Coast Guard probes anchor strike over California oil spill: report
Issued on: 05/10/2021 -
Issued on: 05/10/2021 -
Environmental response crews are cleaning up oil near the Talbert Marsh and Santa Ana River mouth
Patrick T. FALLON AFP
Los Angeles (AFP)
The US Coast Guard is investigating a possible anchor strike as the cause of a broken pipeline that has spewed tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the sea off California, media reported Tuesday.
Emergency responders say up to 131,000 gallons of thick, sticky fuel have fouled waters that are home to seals, dolphins and whales since a pipeline ruptured at the weekend.
A 15-mile (24-kilometer) stretch of coastline has been closed to the public, and fishing has been halted as crews scramble to clean up one of California's biggest spills in decades.
The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that the Coast Guard was trying to determine if a large commercial ship set anchor in the wrong place -- and damaged the pipeline.
Martyn Willsher, the chief executive of pipeline operator Amplify Energy, said underwater observations revealed that 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) of the pipeline was not where it should be.
"The pipeline has essentially been pulled like a bowstring," he told a press conference.
"At its widest point it is 105 feet away from where it was," he said, adding the break in the pipeline was at the apex of this bend.
Los Angeles (AFP)
The US Coast Guard is investigating a possible anchor strike as the cause of a broken pipeline that has spewed tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the sea off California, media reported Tuesday.
Emergency responders say up to 131,000 gallons of thick, sticky fuel have fouled waters that are home to seals, dolphins and whales since a pipeline ruptured at the weekend.
A 15-mile (24-kilometer) stretch of coastline has been closed to the public, and fishing has been halted as crews scramble to clean up one of California's biggest spills in decades.
The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that the Coast Guard was trying to determine if a large commercial ship set anchor in the wrong place -- and damaged the pipeline.
Martyn Willsher, the chief executive of pipeline operator Amplify Energy, said underwater observations revealed that 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) of the pipeline was not where it should be.
"The pipeline has essentially been pulled like a bowstring," he told a press conference.
"At its widest point it is 105 feet away from where it was," he said, adding the break in the pipeline was at the apex of this bend.
An oil platform and cargo container ships are seen on the horizon as environmental response crews clean the beach after an oil spill in the Pacific Ocean in Huntington Beach, California on October 4, 2021
Patrick T. FALLON AFP
Willsher refused to speculate on the cause of that displacement and whether a ship's anchor could be responsible, but said: "It is a 16-inch steel pipeline that's a half inch thick and covered in an inch of concrete.
"For it to be moved 105 feet is not common."
Los Angeles and Long Beach are among the busiest container ports in the world.
Pandemic-sparked logjams have seen dozens of huge container vessels stationed offshore as they wait for a berth.
Ships are given designated anchor points, usually well away from underwater hazards such as pipelines.
But the Los Angeles Times cited a source with knowledge of the investigation into the oil spill, who said a wrongly placed anchor may have dragged the pipeline along the seabed.
Willsher refused to speculate on the cause of that displacement and whether a ship's anchor could be responsible, but said: "It is a 16-inch steel pipeline that's a half inch thick and covered in an inch of concrete.
"For it to be moved 105 feet is not common."
Los Angeles and Long Beach are among the busiest container ports in the world.
Pandemic-sparked logjams have seen dozens of huge container vessels stationed offshore as they wait for a berth.
Ships are given designated anchor points, usually well away from underwater hazards such as pipelines.
But the Los Angeles Times cited a source with knowledge of the investigation into the oil spill, who said a wrongly placed anchor may have dragged the pipeline along the seabed.
Map of south of Los Angeles in California, showing offshore oil platforms and the area closed to fishing after oil spill
Patricio ARANA AFP
Officials under a "Unified Command" umbrella group said there are 14 vessels trying to recover oil from the water, with a little more than 4,700 gallons collected by Tuesday.
"Our top priorities remain the safety of health and human life, protection of the environment protection of wildlife, and to find and remove that oil as we detect it," said Coast Guard captain Rebecca Ore.
Ore added that the precise quantity of oil that had leeched into the water was not known, but that the recovery effort was using a "worst-case scenario" equivalent to 131,000 gallons. This is slightly higher than the previously widely reported figure.
- Wildlife affected -
At least eight birds have been found covered in oil, with reports of other wildlife also affected.
The spill originated near the Elly platform, which was built in 1980 and is one of 23 oil and gas drilling platforms in federal waters off California, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Environmentalists have repeatedly called attention to the age of some of the facilities -- which they say are rusty and poorly maintained -- and the risks they pose.
The disaster has reignited a debate about the presence of oil rigs and pipelines near the coast of Southern California.
© 2021 AFP
Officials under a "Unified Command" umbrella group said there are 14 vessels trying to recover oil from the water, with a little more than 4,700 gallons collected by Tuesday.
"Our top priorities remain the safety of health and human life, protection of the environment protection of wildlife, and to find and remove that oil as we detect it," said Coast Guard captain Rebecca Ore.
Ore added that the precise quantity of oil that had leeched into the water was not known, but that the recovery effort was using a "worst-case scenario" equivalent to 131,000 gallons. This is slightly higher than the previously widely reported figure.
- Wildlife affected -
At least eight birds have been found covered in oil, with reports of other wildlife also affected.
The spill originated near the Elly platform, which was built in 1980 and is one of 23 oil and gas drilling platforms in federal waters off California, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Environmentalists have repeatedly called attention to the age of some of the facilities -- which they say are rusty and poorly maintained -- and the risks they pose.
The disaster has reignited a debate about the presence of oil rigs and pipelines near the coast of Southern California.
© 2021 AFP
Damage from 126K-gallon oil spill in Southern California likely unknown for weeks
By Jonna Lorenz OCT. 4, 2021
Cleanup workers attempt to contain oil that seeped into Talbert Marsh, home to around 90 bird species, after a 126,000-gallon oil spill from an offshore oil platform in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Beaches and harbors are closed as cleanup continues after an oil spill off the coast of Southern California, but the full damages might not be known for weeks.
Houston-based Amplify Energy notified the Coast Guard of the spill Saturday morning after employees noticed an oily sheen in the water. The 126,000-gallon spill occurred about 5 miles off Huntington Beach in Orange County.
The oil slick is drifting south and stretches from Huntington Beach to Laguna Beach, U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Rebecca Ore said Monday.
"We've more than doubled the level of effort just since yesterday, and those numbers will go up," Ore said during a news conference held by the Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response and Amplify Energy.
RELATED 126,000-gallon oil spill leaves dead wildlife on Southern California coast
The oil slick has been estimated to span anywhere from 13 to 20 square miles. Ore described the oil as isolated ribbons or pools of oil rather than one large area. Huntington Beach and Newport Beach areas have been the most heavily impacted.
The state issued fishing limitations, prohibiting the taking of fish off the Coast of Huntington Beach about 6 miles out along a 20-mile stretch.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife incident commander Christian Corbo said the department will patrol the area informing recreational and commercial fishermen of the closures.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer's office is working alongside federal investigators on the incident. Spitzer said he is alarmed that the pipeline company is using its own divers to investigate the leak.
A cause of the leak hasn't been identified. Amplify Energy President and CEO Martyn Willsher said there is a "distinct possibility" that a ship's anchor caused the damage.
Willsher said remotely controlled underwater vehicles are being used to examine the pipeline and narrow in on the source of the leak.
Records show slow response to report of California oil spillBy Jonna Lorenz OCT. 4, 2021
Cleanup workers attempt to contain oil that seeped into Talbert Marsh, home to around 90 bird species, after a 126,000-gallon oil spill from an offshore oil platform in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Beaches and harbors are closed as cleanup continues after an oil spill off the coast of Southern California, but the full damages might not be known for weeks.
Houston-based Amplify Energy notified the Coast Guard of the spill Saturday morning after employees noticed an oily sheen in the water. The 126,000-gallon spill occurred about 5 miles off Huntington Beach in Orange County.
The oil slick is drifting south and stretches from Huntington Beach to Laguna Beach, U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Rebecca Ore said Monday.
"We've more than doubled the level of effort just since yesterday, and those numbers will go up," Ore said during a news conference held by the Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response and Amplify Energy.
RELATED 126,000-gallon oil spill leaves dead wildlife on Southern California coast
The oil slick has been estimated to span anywhere from 13 to 20 square miles. Ore described the oil as isolated ribbons or pools of oil rather than one large area. Huntington Beach and Newport Beach areas have been the most heavily impacted.
The state issued fishing limitations, prohibiting the taking of fish off the Coast of Huntington Beach about 6 miles out along a 20-mile stretch.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife incident commander Christian Corbo said the department will patrol the area informing recreational and commercial fishermen of the closures.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer's office is working alongside federal investigators on the incident. Spitzer said he is alarmed that the pipeline company is using its own divers to investigate the leak.
A cause of the leak hasn't been identified. Amplify Energy President and CEO Martyn Willsher said there is a "distinct possibility" that a ship's anchor caused the damage.
Willsher said remotely controlled underwater vehicles are being used to examine the pipeline and narrow in on the source of the leak.
Shares of Amplify Energy Corp. plunged by nearly half their value, hitting a record one-day selloff and ending a streak that had pushed the stock to its highest price since Feb. 13, 2020, MarketWatch reported.
The company shut down production and pipeline operations in the area, and the 17-mile pipeline was suctioned at both ends to prevent more oil from being released, CNN reported.
The pipeline is connected to an offshore platform called Elly. Divers are inspecting the pipeline searching for the exact cause of the leak, which is still unknown.
The 126,000-gallon spill amounts to about 20% of an Olympic-sized pool and is much smaller than the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill that released 134 million gallons in the Gulf of Mexico and the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska that totaled 11 million gallons.
In California, 4.2 million gallons of crude oil spilled near Santa Barbara in 1969 and 417,000 gallons spilled at Huntington Beach in 1990.
The company shut down production and pipeline operations in the area, and the 17-mile pipeline was suctioned at both ends to prevent more oil from being released, CNN reported.
The pipeline is connected to an offshore platform called Elly. Divers are inspecting the pipeline searching for the exact cause of the leak, which is still unknown.
The 126,000-gallon spill amounts to about 20% of an Olympic-sized pool and is much smaller than the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill that released 134 million gallons in the Gulf of Mexico and the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska that totaled 11 million gallons.
In California, 4.2 million gallons of crude oil spilled near Santa Barbara in 1969 and 417,000 gallons spilled at Huntington Beach in 1990.
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley told CNN that damage to protected wetlands in the area are still being assessed and could take a couple of weeks.
The oil slick covered 13 square miles and continued to grow Sunday, as dead fish and birds washed ashore in some places and wildlife rescuers raced to save oil birds, the New York Times reported.
About 3,150 gallons of oil were recovered overnight. The cleanup operation involved 14 boats.
The Oiled Wildlife Care Network has received 300 calls to its hotline and observed 20 oiled birds. The first live oiled birds to be recovered included a brown pelican, an American coot and a sanderling.
The city of Huntington Beach urged residents not to try to rescue oiled wildlife themselves but to call the hotline. The Orange County Health Care Agency urged people who may have come in contact with contaminated materials to seek medical attention.
The oil slick covered 13 square miles and continued to grow Sunday, as dead fish and birds washed ashore in some places and wildlife rescuers raced to save oil birds, the New York Times reported.
About 3,150 gallons of oil were recovered overnight. The cleanup operation involved 14 boats.
The Oiled Wildlife Care Network has received 300 calls to its hotline and observed 20 oiled birds. The first live oiled birds to be recovered included a brown pelican, an American coot and a sanderling.
The city of Huntington Beach urged residents not to try to rescue oiled wildlife themselves but to call the hotline. The Orange County Health Care Agency urged people who may have come in contact with contaminated materials to seek medical attention.
BRIAN MELLEY, MATTHEW BROWN AND STEFANIE DAZIO
Mon, October 4, 2021
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard received the first report of a possible oil spill off the Southern California coast more than 12 hours before a company reported the major leak in its pipeline and a cleanup effort was launched, records show.
Oil spill reports reviewed Monday by The Associated Press raise questions about the Coast Guard’s response to one of the state’s largest recent oil spills as well as how quickly Amplify Energy, the company operating three offshore platforms and the pipeline, recognized it had a problem and notified authorities.
Two early calls about the spill came into the National Response Center, which is staffed by the Coast Guard and notifies other agencies of disasters for quick response. The first was from an anchored ship that noticed a sheen on the water and the second, six hours later, from a federal agency that said a possible oil slick was spotted on satellite imagery, according to reports by the California Office of Emergency Services.
The spill sent up to 126,000 gallons (572,807 liters) of heavy crude into the ocean off Huntington Beach and it then washed onto miles of beaches and a protected marshland. The beaches could remain closed for weeks or longer, a major hit to the local economy. Coastal fisheries in the area are closed to commercial and recreational fishing.
Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency in Orange County, directing state agencies “to undertake immediate and aggressive action to clean up and mitigate the effects" of the spill.
Experts say it’s too early to determine the full impact on the environment but that so far the number of animals found harmed is minimal.
Investigators are looking into whether a ship’s anchor may have struck a pipeline on the ocean floor, Coast Guard officials said Monday.
Amplify Energy CEO Martyn Willsher said company divers were inspecting the area of the suspected leak reported Saturday, and he expected that by Tuesday there would be a clearer picture of what caused the damage. Willsher said an anchor from a cargo ship striking the pipeline is “one of the distinct possibilities” behind the leak.
Cargo ships entering the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach routinely pass through the area. Backlogs have plagued the ports in recent months and several dozen or more of the giant vessels have regularly been anchored as they wait to enter the ports and unload.
“We’re looking into if it could have been an anchor from a ship, but that’s in the assessment phase right now,” Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Jeannie Shaye said.
Shaye said the Coast Guard was not notified of the disaster until Saturday morning, though records show its hazardous spill response hotline received the first report of a possible oil slick Friday evening.
A foreign ship anchored off the coast witnessed an “unknown sheen in the water near their vessel” at 6:13 p.m. and the report was called into the response center just after 8:22 p.m., according to the state report.
Lonnie Harrison Jr., vice president of Colonial Compliance Systems Inc., which works with foreign ships in U.S. waters to report spills, said one its clients reported the sighting.
Harrison, a retired Coast Guard captain, said the ship was not involved in the spill and was later given clearance over the weekend to enter the port to refuel after determining it wasn’t contaminated by the slick.
About six hours after the first report was received, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that satellite imagery spotted a possible oil slick more than 3 miles (5 kilometers) long. The report by the National Response Center said the image of a “possible oil anomaly” was probably associated with the first report.
“Although there were numerous vessels within immediate proximity to the anomaly, none were clearly associated with the anomaly,” the report said. “These factors prevented the possible identification of a point source. Still, the NRC report allows for high confidence that this was oil.”
The company that operates the pipeline first reported the spill to the Coast Guard’s response center at 8:55 a.m. Saturday. However, the report said the incident occurred at 2:30 a.m.
Federal and state authorities require rapid reporting of a spill. Failure to do so led to criminal prosecutions against Plains All American Pipeline, which caused a coastal spill near Santa Barbara in 2015, and Southern California Gas Co. for a massive well blowout later that year.
A 2016 spill response plan for the Amplify platforms submitted to federal regulators called for immediate notification of federal officials when more than one barrel of oil is released into the water. Releases greater than five barrels — or that threaten state waters or the shoreline — require immediate notification of the state fire marshal and California wildlife officials.
The pipeline was supposed to be monitored under an automated leak detection system that would report problems to a control room staffed around the clock on the oil platform known as Elly.
The system was designed to trigger an alarm whenever a change in the flow of oil is detected. But how fast it can pick up on those changes was expected to vary according to the size of the leak. For a large leak — 10% or more of the amount of oil flowing through the pipeline — the detection time was estimated at 5 minutes. Smaller leaks were expected to take up to 50 minutes to detect, according to the response plan.
The spill plan warned that a break in the pipeline could cause “substantial harm to the environment” and that in a worst-case scenario 3,111 barrels (131,000 gallons) of oil could be released from the pipeline.
Willsher said required agencies were notified “instantly” when the company recognized the leak was from its pipe. Records show the spill was not reported by Amplify Energy, but by Witt O’Brien’s, a crisis and emergency management firm listed on the spill response plan as the point of contact to notify the NRC.
The report said the leaking pipe had been shut off but containment was not confirmed. The cause of the rupture was unknown.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said he has investigators looking into whether he can bring state charges for the spill even though the leak occurred in waters overseen by the U.S. government. Other potential criminal investigations were being pursued by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, officials said.
Safety advocates have pushed for years for federal rules that would strengthen oil spill detection requirements and force companies to install valves that can automatically shut down the flow of crude in case of a leak. The oil and pipeline industries have resisted such requirements because of the high cost.
“If the operator had more valves installed on this line, they’d have a much better chance at having the point of failure isolated by now,” said Bill Caram with the Pipeline Safety Trust, an organization based in Bellingham, Washington.
The pipeline was built using a process known as electric resistance weld, according to a regulatory filing from the company. That welding process has been linked to past oil pipeline failures because corrosion can occur along seams, according to government safety advisories and Caram.
Annual reports filed with federal regulators in 2019 and 2020 showed inspections for the inside and outside of the pipe revealed nothing requiring repairs.
___
Associated Press writers Michael Biesecker in Washington, Bernard Condon in New York, and Amy Taxin in Huntington Beach, California, contributed to this report.
16 PHOTOS
California Oil Spill
California Oil Spill
Oil floats on the water surface after an oil spill in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. A major oil spill off the coast of Southern California fouled popular beaches and killed wildlife while crews scrambled Sunday, to contain the crude before it spread further into protected wetlands.
(AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
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