Rig High Island; Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico | 1999-Feb-09

Initial Notification: On February 9, 1999, the rig High Island Platform 139A suffered a production failure causing an unknown quantity of crude oil to spill into the Gulf of Mexico 18 to 20 miles offshore. The spilled oil was a condensate crude with an API of 38. The stretch of shoreline from Galveston to Freeport is historically an area with high concentrations of birds. In particular, the area around San Luis Pass is an important feeding and loafing area for shorebirds, gulls, terns, loons, pelicans, and wading birds. At the time of the spill, because of the very early spring weather, many birds were staging along the beaches, particularly shorebirds who are feeding to bulk up for the migration to nesting areas. Though shorebirds have a lower tendency to get oiled (compared to diving birds who spend much of their time on the water surface or diving for prey) they spend a lot of time feeding at the water/land interface where any tarballs that come ashore are likely to concentrate. With onshore winds, the ultimate fate of any persistent oil was shoreline stranding. Normally, tarballs on shore are not an issue because they are easy to clean up. However, because of the high concentrations of birds present in the area of the predicted impact, there was a risk of birds getting oiled. USCG district 8. Keyword: boom, Corexit 9500.