Unmanned Pumping Station; Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico | 1992-Mar-08

Initial Notification: An oil slick was report to MSONO at 1500 CST, 3/8/92, MSO called SSC at 1845. The source is an unmanned pumping station on a pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico. Latitude 29 degrees, 10.15 minutes N, Longitued 089 degrees, 45.21 minutes W, the location is also known as West Delta Block 17. The product is thought to be South Louisiana crude. SITUATION: Siting of a 2 mile by 100 ft slick was reported by a USCG auxiliary Cessna pilot at 1500 CST. Slick was reported as tending East from the spill site. MSO personnel reported that oil was under continuous flow and had not been stopped at of 2130, 3/8/92. Exact location of break, size of hole and flow rate are all unknown. Flow may not be shut off until Monday (3/9/92) morning at the earliest. ACTION TAKEN BY USCG: 1. Attempting to locate owner of pumping station. 2. No direct action has been taken at this time. 3. MSO requested that NOAA provide trajectory information, but it was determined that there was not enough information available to develop an accurate worst-case scenario at this time. ACTION TAKEN BY SSC: 1. Notified all appropriate HazMat personnel. 2. Requested trajectory information from MASS. 3. Attempting to participate in morning (3/9/92) overflight. Future plans await morning overflight results. The reported oil spill from a break at an unmanned pumping station was either in error (No oil was actually there, or there was silt or a plankton bloom in the area), or there was oil in the area and it was actually in such small quantity that it was really insignificant. USCG district 8.