The United States Guard said it is responding to a crude oil spill from a Shell subsea well-head flow line about 90 miles off Timbalier Island, Louisiana on Thursday.
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The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said a 2 mile by 13 mile (about 3 km by 21 km) sheen was visible in the sea about 97 miles off the Louisiana coast.
“Shell is determining the exact cause of the release by inspecting the subsea equipment and flowlines in the Glider field”, Shell said.
An underwater pipe system flowing to Shell’s Brutus oil platform leaked an estimated 2,100 barrels into the Gulf.
Shell added there are no drilling activities at the Brutus platform, close to where the leak is located, and the spill is not a well control incident.
Aircrew with the Coast Guard Aviation crew is conducting an aerial assessment of the site and surrounding areas.
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The BSEE is still investigating the spill but says there have been no injuries or evacuations. According to a press release from that year, the Brutus TLP was Shell’s first deepwater platform to be specifically created to serve as a hub for future subsea developments in the surrounding area.
