Breton Sound 53 Well Incident; Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico | 2008-Jan-19

Initial Notification: On Saturday afternoon, 19 January 2008, the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator was notified of a vessel hitting a oil and gas well. The time of the incident was approximately 0400 hrs. The skipper of the vessel reported that he could smell oil and gas, but in the dark, could see nothing. The reported position is just 4.5 miles SW of Breton National Wildlife Refuge and 9 miles NNE of the Delta National Wildlife Refuge. The USCG responded in the SAR mode, but little information as to the damage of the well or possible oil release on water is available.