US Coast Guard investigates if anchor caused oil spill in California

The coast guard of USA investigates whether the hit of an anchor against an underwater pipeline caused the spill of thousands of liters of oil on the coast of Californiamedia reported on Tuesday.

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Some 495,000 liters of thick and sticky fuel they have been dumped into waters that are home to seals, dolphins and whales since a pipeline ruptured over the weekend.

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A 24-km stretch of coastline remains closed to the public, while fishing was interrupted while teams work to clean up the spill, one of the largest to occur in California.

The newspaper Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that Coast Guard investigates whether the anchor of a huge commercial ship was thrown in the wrong place and impacted the pipeline.

Martyn Willsher, Amplify Energy’s chief executive officer in charge of the pipeline, said assessments at sea revealed that 1,200 meters of pipeline are where they shouldn’t be.

“The pipeline was essentially stretched like a rope,” he said at a press conference.

“At its widest point it is 32 meters from where it should be”, He added, explaining that the crack in the pipeline is at the apex of the bend caused.

Willsher declined to speculate what could have caused this and whether an anchor would be responsible for the impact, but said: “It is a 40-centimeter steel pipeline, 1.5 cm thick, covered by a three-centimeter layer of concrete. That it moves 32 meters is not common ”.

Los Angeles and Long Beach They are among the busiest ports in the world. The traffic jams caused by the pandemic force dozens of huge container ships to park offshore while they wait to dock.

Ships are given coordinates to anchor, usually far from places that pose risks, such as those with pipelines.

But Los Angeles Times cited a source familiar with the spill investigation as saying that a misplaced anchor may have impacted the pipeline.

The authorities of the unified command – in charge of the works – said that there are 14 vessels trying to remove the oil from the water. As of Monday, almost 18,000 liters had been removed.

“Our priorities continue to be to ensure human life and health, protect the environment and wildlife, and find and remove oil as we find it.”Coast Guard Captain Rebecca Ore said.

Ore added that they do not know the exact amount of oil that has leaked into the water, but that recovery teams are working with “the worst case scenario” which is about 495,000 liters. This represents an increase from what was initially reported.

Affected fauna

At least eight birds were found covered in oil, among other reports of animals affected by the spill.

Authorities warned people not to touch or try to save any animals, but to call local officials to take charge.

The spill originated near the plataforma Elly, built in 1980, one of 23 oil and gas platforms in federal waters off California, said Los Angeles Times.

Environmentalists drew attention to the age of some of the facilities – which they say are rusty and poorly maintained – as well as the risks they pose.

The disaster reopened the debate over the presence of oil rigs and pipelines off the coast of Southern California.

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Deshawn