Crude oil is no longer leaking from a pipeline off the coast of Southern California. This says the owner of the company that operates the tube at a press conference.
Source The Great Oil Spill Off the coast of the United States in this tube. It is connected to an oil platform 14 kilometers from the coast. Divers tried to find the hole in the tube. More than half a million liters of crude oil ended up in the sea, the equivalent of about three thousand barrels.
“I don’t expect more,” says the owner. “This is the capacity of the entire pipeline.” He says the pipeline has been drained and dozens of the company’s nearby oil rigs have been shut down.
It is one of the largest oil spills in the region ever. The coast off the coastal town of Huntington Beach was particularly affected. The Reuters news agency reported that the oil is floating over an area of more than 33 square kilometers.
Beaches may be closed for months
Mayor Kim Kar assumes the beaches will remain closed for weeks or even months. She described the leak as “one of the most devastating situations our society has faced in decades.” She spoke of a “potential environmental disaster”. “Our wetlands are deteriorating and parts of our coast are now covered in oil.”
Carr called on officials to “do everything they can in the coming days to help solve the environmental disaster.” Water, fish and dead birds washed up in several places on the shore.
The oil stain is clearly visible in these photos:
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