SOUTHERN DANCER Incident and Diesel Spill; Gulf of Mexico, LA

Gulf of Mexico, LA | 2009-Sep-12

Initial Notification: At 2:55 AM (local time) on 12 September (early Saturday morning), the U.S. Coast Guard notified the NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator that an Offshore Supply Vessel (OSV) struck a rig while being untied. The vessel spun around and allied with the rig spilling an estimated 1,800 gallons of marine diesel fuel into the Gulf of Mexico. The location was roughly 4 nautical miles SW of Belle Pass Louisiana and just off the barrier islands and Timbalier Bay. The source is reported secured. NOAA was requested to provide a trajectory analysis.