Posted in Maritime Security by Ankur Kundu on Oct 05, 2021, at 07:19.
Oil Spill Off California Coast; Threatens To Spiral Into “Most devastating crisis in decades”
As much as 126,000 gallons of oil spilled into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Orange County following a pipeline breakdown, causing a 13-square-mile slick that stretched from Huntington Beach to Newport Beach. As cleaning teams scrambled to control the leakage, dead fish and birds washed ashore in nearby locations.
The oil spill, which was initially reported Saturday, was caused by a pipeline breakdown that was attached to an offshore oil platform called Elly off the coast of Huntington Beach.
The United States Coast Guard announced Sunday night that the crew had “recovered” around 3,150 gallons of oil. On Sunday, 14 vessels assisted in the cleaning work, and the team deployed 5,360 feet of boom, a floating barrier that aids in oil containment.
“In a year filled with very difficult challenges, this oil leak represents one of the most tragic crises our community has faced in decades,” said Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr.
Officials expect the oil to continue encroaching on Orange County beaches over the following few days.
Although there were no early complaints of marine mammals being harmed, Krysta Higuchi, spokesperson for the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, said the aftermath generally manifests itself days after a spill occurred.
“The primary creatures harmed at the moment are birds,” she explained. “The Pacific marine mammal facility is currently on alert. This is a marathon, not a sprint. All hands are on deck. We’re bracing for the worst-case scenario while hoping for the best.”
Talbert Marsh, a Huntington Beach ecological reserve that is home to dozens of bird species, was also contaminated by the spilled oil.
The Coast Guard did not provide any further information on Sunday, but mutually stated with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Saturday that the “cause of the leak, the volume of oil spilled, and the type of oil are all being investigated.” The authorities warned the public that they did not require volunteers to assist with the cleanup, pointing out that doing so would slow response efforts.
Residents came out onto the sand early Sunday to inspect the damage, despite the beach shutdown. On Sunday, Orange County health officials urged residents to seek medical care if they came into contact with the oil or inhaled oil fumes, which may be hazardous.
The oil spill is just the latest such incident to hit California’s shores, including the 1969 spill of as much as 4.2 million gallons of crude oil near Santa Barbara. Locally, Huntington Beach bore the brunt of a 1990 spill of about 417,000 gallons of crude oil when an oil tanker ran over its anchor and punctured its hull.
The current spill, at 126,000 gallons, would fill about 20% of an Olympic-sized pool. Its volume pales in comparison to the most serious oil spills in history, including the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska (11 million gallons) and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico (134 million gallons).
