The U.S. Coast Guard says cleanup boats are at the site of a major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Ida.
The U.S. Coast Guard says cleanup crews are responding to a major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Ida, while a private team of divers will have to go underwater to locate the source of the leak.
Lt. John Edwards, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman, said Saturday that Clean Gulf Associates, a nonprofit oil spill cooperative, has placed a containment boom in the area to prevent the spread of oils.
The company’s vessels also run skimmers that can remove oil from the water, although so far only about 160 gallons of oil have been removed.
The spill, which is ongoing, appears to come from an underwater source in a marine drilling lease about 3 miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, an oil and gas hub.
So far, the rising spill appears to have remained offshore and has not affected the Louisiana coast.
It is not yet estimated how much oil was in the water, but recent satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press news agency appeared on Saturday to show the tide deviating more than 19 miles (19 km) east along the Gulf Coast.
Edwards said response teams are monitoring reports and satellite imagery to determine the scope of the download.
He said the source of the pollution is in Marchand Bay, in Block 4, and is believed to be the crude of a submarine oil pipeline owned by Talos Energy.
Brian L Grove, a spokesman for the Houston-based energy company, said he had hired Clean Gulf Associates to respond to the spill, though the company believes it is not responsible for oil in the water.
Talos will also send a team of divers to determine the source of the spill on Sunday.
“The stalks will continue to work closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and other state and federal agencies to identify the source of the release and coordinate a successful response,” the company said in a statement. “The company’s top priorities are the safety of all staff and the protection of the public and the environment.”
Once the source was identified, the Coast Guard said it would work on a source recovery and control plan.
The Bay of Marchand spill is one of dozens of environmental hazards to which regulators are responding in Louisiana and the Gulf after Hurricane Ida.
The Category 4 storm was one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the U.S. Gulf Coast.
It made landfall in Louisiana last Sunday and destroyed entire communities.