Whenever you talk about an oil spill, people think about images of birds covered in black slime. At the same time, the idea that comes to the mind of people is a shiny slick covering the surface of the ocean. However, a recent event has shown that not all spills resemble others of the past. For instance, it has been discovered that nearly 672,000 gallons of oil spilled into the sea this month when a pipeline fractured at the Gulf of Mexico. This is said to have happened near Venice, which is found approximately 65 miles from New Orleans. While this leak is reported to have happened, none of it was visible. A Coast Guard in the areas known as Steven Youde said that everyone was still amused by the fact that the spill wasn’t visible. He was talking during an interview last week on Wednesday. Only some light sheen could be seen in some areas. The rest is reported to have disappeared completely. Scientists further said that they don’t expect the spill to affect the shoreline in any way. At the same time, this is explained as the largest spill in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon that happened seven years ago. The latest episode follows a situation where 16,000 barrels leaked into the sea for just two days.
However, this is still seeing as a substantial leak by some experts such as Edward B. Overton. He is a professor at Louisiana State University specializing in environmental sciences. He was involved in the Deepwater Horizon cleanup. He further said that the recent cleanup does not warrant a cleanup response. The recent spillage has seen the oil degenerate than previous episodes. Rick Fowler who is the spokesman for the company involved in the leakage said that the leak occurred in the early morning hours of 11th October. The company involved in the leakage is known as LLOG Exploration. The company said that it realized that the oil reaching it floating production system was different from the oil leaving its wells. They realized this difference on 12th October. While the small crack is yet to be identified, the spokesman confirmed that oil production had ceased. At the same time, he confirmed that they had not determined the cause of the fracture. The episode is being investigated by the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. 20 to 50 million gallons of oil are spilled annually.
Dil Bole Oberoi
