Pirate Well Platform; Mississippi River Delta, LA

Mississippi River Delta, LA | 1992-Oct-30

Initial Notification: At approximately 0753, on October 30, 1992, CONOCO personnel notified the USCG that an unnamed tug and its barge had run over a well platform in the main channel of the Mississippi River. The platform was not owned by CONOCO; it was considered a "pirate" well, probably belonging to a small company. The wind was out of the southeast at 10 to 12 knots and there were two-foot seas at the time of the report. At 0830 a Minerals Management Service (MMS) aircraft happened to fly over the area and reported a three-mile slick tending to the northeast. The contents of the barge, the quantity of fuel on the tug, the product seen in the water, and the source of the leak were unknown. The well was owned by South Parish Oil, a bankrupt company, and was thought to be a shut-in well, not a production well. The report of a collision by a tug with barges was unconfirmed and thought to be erroneous. Overflights by private aircraft later in the day were unable to locate the source of the spill. The only beach impact reported was a stretch north of the site estimated from the air to be about 100 feet long and two feet wide with light sheen trailing downwind. Reports from CONOCO engineers indicated that the oil probably came from a leaky valve and was considered only a minor problem. A front was moving through the area causing wave action that hid any oil on the surface making acquisition of information from overflights impossible. The water was dark brown and the skies were overcast adding to the difficulty of aircrews to spot the spill. USCG district 8. Keyword: none.