The source of an estimated 1.1 million gallons of crude oil that seeped into the Gulf of Mexico along a pipeline southeast of New Orleans last month has yet to be determined by the US Coast Guard.
An aircraft flying over the Main Pass Oil Gathering company’s pipeline system near Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish discovered the leak on November 17. The Coast Guard stated that it had inspected around 40 miles of the 67-mile-long underwater pipeline, while remote-controlled equipment and divers assessed the remainder, as well as other nearby pipelines.
However, officials have yet to identify the source of the incident.
Though the exact date of the spill is unknown, the pipeline was shut down on Thursday, Nov. 16, before personnel began flying flyover operations to assess the scope of the breach.
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Three skimming vessels built primarily to retrieve spilled oil from the water’s surface, as well as two Coast Guard cutter cutters, were dispatched to the location about 4 miles southeast of the Louisiana coast.
While officials were unable to identify the exact volume of oil that had flowed offshore in the Mississippi River delta, the Coast Guard estimated it to be around 1.1 million gallons last week.
Plaquemines Parish authorities stated they were “monitoring the incident” in a Facebook post a day after the leak was revealed, but have not released any updates since.
According to the Coast Guard, the leak has not affected animals.
According to the Coast Guard’s most recent statement on Tuesday, the department is still investigating the source of the leak.
The Coast Guard said that no further oil appeared to have poured into the ocean, and that the spill had neither threatened animals or encroached on the shorelines.
The Coast Guard is still in charge of cleanup work in the region.
