Pipe Leak in Gulf of Mexico Leaves Half-Mile Slick
Date: 27-Dec-06
Country: US
"A medium crude oil pipeline ruptured 30 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, and leaked approximately 21,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico Sunday, Dec. 24," the Coast Guard said in a release.
Plains All American Pipeline L.P., operator of the High Island Pipeline, said it shut the line down Sunday after the leak was detected and that it was working with state and federal agencies to minimize the impact of the spill.
The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.
"There's a 60-yard-wide oil sheen that extends for about half a mile," said a Coast Guard spokesman. "It is still leaking slowly, about 80 to 400 gallons a day."
The High Island Pipeline System connects offshore oil platforms in the High Island and East Breaks areas of the Gulf of Mexico with Texas, City, Texas.
Oilfields operated by Apache Corp., Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and Newfield Exploration Co. are among those served by the High Island Pipeline, according to a map prepared by oil industry consultants Purvin and Gertz Inc.
