The Coast Guard is responding to an oil discharge near Port Sulphur Sunday.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report from the National Response Center that a crude oil well in Rattle Snake Bayou, southwest of Port Sulphur, was reported to be leaking.
The amount discharged has not been determined; the well is rated to produce 5,476 gallons of oil per day. It is unknown when the discharge began.
The leak has not been stopped as of 5 p.m. Sunday.
U.S. Coast Guard District 8
Hilcorp, the owner of the well, has contracted ES&H as an oil spill response organization. ES&H currently has 4 response boats and 13 personnel conducting containment and cleanup operations. Wild Well Control has been contracted to work on securing the source.
Hilcorp also contracted an overflight of the incident; a Coast Guard helicopter conducted an aerial assessment as well.
Also involved in the response are:
- Plaquemines Parish Sherriff’s Department
- Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office
- National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration
The Coast Guard has issued a Safety Marine Information Broadcast to inform boaters in the area of the spill.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
