An oil spill with an estimated maximum potential of 4200 gallons of crude oil occurred yesterday (2 August) from a well owned by Houston-based Texas Petroleum Investment Co. (TPIC), near Main Pass offshore Louisiana, according to the US Coast Guard (USCG).
Image from USCG Flickr/Petty Officer 1st Class Bryan Goff. |
OMI Environmental Solutions and Clean Gulf Associates, oil spill response organizations, have been contracted by TPIC to conduct clean up operations, the USCG said.
The USCG, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinators Office and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are also overseeing the response.
Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans and Southern Seaplane aircrews are conducting aerial assessments of the site and surrounding areas.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
TPIC is a private exploration and production company with principal operations along the Gulf Coast of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The company was founded in 1989 and operates more than 2000 producing wells.
This incident isn't the only one for TPIC. In May 2015, a fire erupted at a TPIC oil production platform in Breton Sound Block 21, in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, 28 workers onboard the platform had to be evacuated. No injures were reported at the time.