There is another major crude oil spill off the coast of Southern California

Source: Zhonggong Net - Workers Daily

Original title: There is another major crude oil spill on the coast of Southern California

Dong Pei

An unexpected crude oil pipeline leak became one of the largest marine crude oil spills in california's modern history.

On October 2, local time, a production and transmission facility of an offshore oil company leaked, and about 126,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the Pacific Ocean, about 3,000 barrels.

The spilled crude oil formed several kilometers wide in the sea and soon caused the death of fish and birds, and the viscous black spheres were washed up on the beach along with dead birds and dead fish. Crews led by the U.S. Coast Guard used skimmers and floating barriers known as oil fences to try to stop spilled crude oil from further intrusion into wetlands and ecological reserves on land.

Someone on social media reported seeing dolphins swimming in oil.

Southern California beach resort Huntington Beach was forced to close due to oil pollution, and scheduled airshows in the area were canceled.

On October 5, the Government of California declared a state of emergency in Oil-affected Orange County to mobilize more resources to clean up the affected areas.

On the 6th, the headquarters responsible for handling the accident held a regular meeting to update the latest situation of the accident. The command is made up of personnel from the U.S. federal government, the California government, and regional agencies affected by the oil spill.

Orr, the head of the command and a U.S. Coast Guard official, said that at present, the aftermath has only recovered 5544 gallons of crude oil and deployed about 4,000 meters of oil fences. This means that the vast majority of crude oil has not been recovered, and it is still a huge threat to the marine ecology.

The investigation revealed that the cause of the accident may have been related to the damage of the submarine pipeline by the anchor of a passing vessel. Near the site of the accident, there are two of the busiest container ports in the United States, and more than 100 cargo ships need to pass through and anchor in areas passed by submarine pipelines every day.

Some investigations believe that the pipeline has been used for nearly 41 years, and aging may also be one of the causes of the leak.

However, what is most criticized by local residents is the delay in responding to accidents.

The investigation revealed that workers in the oil company's control room received a low-pressure alert for the San Pedro Bay pipeline at around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 2, indicating a possible failure. However, the pipe was finally shut down at 6:01 a.m.

The company's chief executive, Wilshire, denied the findings, arguing that the company did not learn of the pipeline leak until after 8 a.m. on the 2nd.

Wilshire also said the leak occurred in a steel pipe about 40 centimeters long, covered with concrete, which required a lot of force to move and crack. The company inspects the inside and outside of the pipe every other year.

Wilshire's claims have been criticized by local residents. Some residents said they had actually noticed oil on the surface of the sea and the smell of crude oil in the air on the night of October 1.

According to the data, California is the main oil-producing and refining region in the United States, and there are 23 oil and gas platforms and supporting well pipelines and other facilities in the waters near Southern California. Historically, California's "oil spills" are not uncommon.

In 1969, a blowout occurred on a drilling rig in Santa Barbara, spilling 4.2 million gallons of crude oil into nearby waters;

In 1990, an oil tanker hit anchor and punctured its hull near Huntington Beach in almost the same area as the accident, and 417,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the sea.

In 2007, in San Francisco Bay, Northern California, an oil tanker crashed into the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, causing a 58,000-gallon crude oil spill;

In May 2015, an oil pipeline north of Santa Barbara ruptured, spilling 140,000 gallons of crude, and the company later admitted to notifying federal regulators more than three hours after it discovered the leak;

In June 2016, an oil pipeline in Ventura, California, ruptured, causing a 700-barrel oil spill...

Every crude oil spill is a disaster that is difficult to bridge for marine ecology. Cherish nature, strictly prevent accidents, human beings have the responsibility to do more efforts.

Editor-in-charge: Xiao Tian