California oil spill: Authorities say ship’s anchor may have ruptured pipeline
Officials say 4,000ft section of pipeline moved around 105ft and had 13-inch split in it
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Damage to a section of pipeline that spilled up to 144,000 gallons of oil off the Southern California coast could have been caused by a ship’s anchor, authorities say.
Officials have revealed that a 4,000-ft section of the pipeline was moved around 105ft and had a 13-inch split in it off the coast of Huntington Beach.
The spill has shut down Orange County’s famous beaches as the oil has washed onto shore, causing a major environmental hazard.
A ship’s anchor striking the pipeline on the ocean floor is “one of the distinct possibilities” behind the disaster, Amplify Energy CEO Martyn Willsher said.
“This is a terrible tragedy and we are extremely sorry this happened,” he added.
“The cause of this will still need to be investigated, but regardless of the cause, we are going to do everything we can to make things right for all of those impacted areas and individuals as quickly as we can.”
There were multiple large container ships, which dock in nearby Long Beach, in the area at the time of the spill, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“We’re looking into if it could have been an anchor from a ship, but that’s in the assessment phase right now,” said Coast Guard Lt Cmdr Jeannie Shaye.
Investigators are still trying to clarify the exact timeline of the spill, and who knew exactly when it may have started.
The alarm was first raised on Friday at 6.13pm when a ship reported seeing a sheen of oil in the water, according to a federal report on the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services spill report website.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration then reportedly notified the federal response center twice on Friday night night of a possible oil spill.
But the Coast Guard did not investigate the reports for more than 12 hours because of darkness and a lack of technology, officials told the Associated Press.
Amplify Energy says it did not detect the spill until Saturday morning, rather than Friday night.
Governor Gavin Newsom, who has declared a state of emergency, hopes to phase out drilling in the state by 2045.
“California continues to lead the nation in phasing out fossil fuels and combating the climate crisis,” said Mr Newsom.
“This incident serves as a reminder of the enormous cost fossil fuels have on our communities and the environment.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments