Miss. Canyon 538; Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico | 2000-Feb-28

Initial Notification: Monday evening, 28 February, the NOAA SSC was alerted by the HAZMAT Duty Officer to an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. MSO Morgan City requested oil fate and trajectory modeling support in addition to a weather forecast. The spill was the result of a decoupling (pipe separation) at Mississippi Canyon 538 (N 28? 23.32 Lat. W 89? 27.12 Long.). The spill volume is reported as 240 bbl. The spill was reported at 1415 hrs CST and source control by reattachment of BOP was reported at 1800 hrs. The spilled oil is relatively heavy with an API of only 20.2. Such oils are generally persistent and often form emulsified oil patties and tarballs which can travel long distances. Often oil released under such conditions is already emulsified with formation or production water. Dispersants are being evaluated, but would not be practical for a highly emulsified oil. Conditions off-shore are good for mechanical recovery, and two skimmers are heading to the location. Given the distance off-shore, landfall is not predicted over the next 2-3 days. USCG district 8.