U.S. officials said on Nov. 21 seven energy companies have been impacted by an oil discharge near Main Pass Oil Gathering Co.'s (MPOG) pipeline system in the Gulf of Mexico that is estimated to have released more than a million gallons of crude oil.
The 67-mile long pipeline was closed by MPOG on the morning of Nov. 16 after crude oil was spotted around 19 miles offshore of the Mississippi River delta, near Plaquemines Parish, southeast of New Orleans.
"Seven producers affected and those producers are currently shut in," Bryan Domangue of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said during a press briefing.
Officials said investigations and surveys were ongoing to determine the source of the discharge, but added that there were no reported injuries or shoreline impacts so far.
There has been no impact on vessels and the waterway remains open to all commercial and recreational vessel traffic, officials said.
While the exact volume of discharged oil was not known, the Coast Guard, which was leading the clean up, said initial calculations placed the volume of the leak at 1.1 million gallons or 26,190 bbl.
"We're not saying that was the exact amount. We are not going to know the exact amount of oil that was discharged into the Gulf of Mexico until we find the source," said Captain Kelly Denning, deputy commander, sector New Orleans.
The officials also said it was yet to be established if Third Coast Infrastructure, which owns MPOG, is responsible for the spill.
"They're suspected responsible party but we won't know until we find the source which is why we keep referring to them as the responding party," said Denning.
Recommended Reading
CGG to Change Name to Viridien
2024-05-17 - The company’s new ticker symbol will be “VIRI” and listed on Euronext Paris, effective May 21.
Sector’s Appetite for Capital Remains Amid Consolidation Frenzy, Panelists Say
2024-05-17 - There’s still an appetite for capital in the oil and gas sector—companies just need to think creatively to find it, a number of panelists said during SUPER DUG in Fort Worth, Texas.
SilverBow Resets Shareholder Meeting After $2.1B Crescent Deal
2024-05-16 - SilverBow Resources said it will adjourn its May 21 shareholders’ meeting until May 29 following Crescent Energy’s agreement to buy the Eagle Ford operator.
Blue Racer Midstream Prices Senior Notes Offering
2024-05-15 - Net proceeds from the sale of senior notes will be used to pay off debt and other general corporate purposes.
Petrobras CEO Prates to Step Down
2024-05-15 - Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has requested that Petrobras CEO Jean Paul Prates resign following a dispute over dividend payments.