NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Coast Guard says the amount of oil discharged into the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana’s coast last weekend is substantially higher than initial estimates.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement says oil spewed out of an underwater fractured pipe Saturday in the Gulf of Mexico about 40 miles (65 kilometers) southeast of Venice, Louisiana. The Coast Guard said in a news release Thursday that offshore oil and gas operator LLOG Exploration Offshore reports about 16,000 barrels of oil were discharged. The operator initially estimated that 7,950 to 9,350 barrels had spilled.
The Coast Guard says multiple flights over the area have detected no recoverable oil. Skimming vessels from Clean Gulf Associates and Marine Spill Response Corporation remain on standby.
The Deepwater Horizon spill leaked more than 3 million barrels into the Gulf in 2010.