Cleanup personnel were responding to a large oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico following Hurricane Ida, the Associated Press reported on Saturday, citing the US Coast Guard.
The outlet reported that the spill was spreading eastward along the Gulf Coast for more than 19 km (12 miles).
Response teams were monitoring reports and satellite photos to identify the scope of the discharge, according to Coast Guard spokesman Lt. John Edwards who is quoted in the report. He said that the source of the pollution is thought to be crude oil from a Talos Energy-owned undersea pipeline in Bay Marchand, Block 4.
The company that owns the pipeline reportedly hired a non-profit oil-spill cooperative, Clean Gulf Associates to resolve the issue. The workers, who were reportedly dispatched to the area on Wednesday, have set up a containment boom in the vicinity to prevent the oil from spreading farther. The company's ships are also equipped with skimmers that can remove oil from the water, however, the Coast Guard estimated that approximately 160 liters (42 gallons) have been removed thus far.
A sheen appears on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico near an oil industry platform, following the passing of Hurricane Ida in an NOAA surveillance photograph taken south of Port Fouchon, Louisiana, U.S. August 31, 2021.
© REUTERS / NOAA
Talos Energy is reported to be conducting an investigation on the cause of the spill, although it claimed that the preliminary findings suggest the company's facilities were not the source of the leak.
According to AP, two 29-meter response vessels were sent to the location to conduct oil recovery operations. A lift boat capable of conducting diving operations has also been dispatched and was due to arrive in the nearest future.
The oil company had suggested that divers would go to the bottom on Sunday to discover the source of the leak, according to the Coast Guard.
Following the Category 4 hurricane that made landfall at Port Fourchon on Sunday, state and federal regulators are responding to scores of reported environmental risks in Louisiana and the Gulf. The region is a major petrochemical production center in the United States.