CG Forms Unified Command, Responds To Oil Spill Near Mouth Of Mississippi River

The U.S. Coast Guard, Main Pass Oil Gathering Company (MPOGC) and the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office have established a Unified Command in response to a crude oil release from a pipeline system about 20 nautical miles east of the entrance to Pass a Loutre, near the mouth of the Mississippi River.

MPOGC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Houston-based Third Coast Infrastructure LLC, reported a leak of an estimated 1.1 million gallons of crude oil from a pipeline east of Venice, La., to the Coast Guard on November 16. The pipeline, which measures about 67 miles long, was closed by MPOGC early that morning.

The Coast Guard has deployed three skimming vessels to the area to recover oil on the surface. Surveillance flights in the area over the weekend following the spill revealed an intermittent surface sheen. The Coast Guard has also deployed remotely operated vehicles to survey the pipeline. As of November 21, officials had not identified the source of the discharge.

Thus far, there have been no reported impacts to the shoreline.

The cause of the discharge remains under investigation.