Another Gulf oil spill: Well near Deepwater Horizon has leaked since at least April 30

[Lone_Star_Dem]

The Deepwater Horizon is not the only well leaking oil into the Gulf of Mexico for the last month.

A nearby drilling rig, the Ocean Saratoga, has been leaking since at least April 30, according to a federal document.

While the leak is decidedly smaller than the Deepwater Horizon spill, a 10-mile-long slick emanating from the Ocean Saratoga is visible from space in multiple images gathered by Skytruth.org, which monitors environmental problems using satellites.

Federal officials did not immediately respond when asked about the size of the leak, how long it had been flowing, or whether it was possible to plug it.

Skytruth first reported the leak on its website on May 15. Federal officials mentioned it in the May 1 trajectory map for the Deepwater Horizon spill, stating that oil from the Ocean Saratoga spill might also be washing ashore in Louisiana.

The only other mention the Press-Register was able to find of the spill in federal documents occurred in a May 17 transcript of a U.S. Coast Guard media conference. In that transcript, Admiral Mary Landry said that she was unaware there was another drilling rig leaking oil in the Gulf.


http://blog.al.com/live/2010/06/another_gulf_oil_spill_well_ne.html

Confirmed with photos. It's hard to deny it now.

[Catherina]

1. It's just a little bitty drop of oil in a big wide sea

Bp. Liars, thieves and criminals.

[The Straight Story]

2. K&R (nt)

[jaxx]

3. Ocean Saratoga

<snip> The other, the Diamond Ocean Saratoga, is operated by Taylor Energy, which has been in the process of plugging and abandoning a Mississippi Canyon well where the platform was toppled during Hurricane Ivan. The Diamond Ocean Saratoga is the only one on the MMS list that is operating at a depth of less then 500 feet. Eleven of the rigs are operating at greater depths than the Deepwater Horizon, which was drilling a bit more than 5,000 feet below the surface.

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/25_gulf_oil_rigs_shutting_down.html

Hurricane Ivan was in 2004

[Lone_Star_Dem]

5. Which would mean this one has been leaking since 2004?

I actually recall reading about the rig damage after Ivan now that I read your link.

I looked it up and this is what I found:

Diamond Offshore spokesman Gary Krenek tells us his company was hired by Taylor Energy to "plug and abandon" the existing well. He declined to comment on the reported leak.

The rig was damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, according to Times Picayune. However, Diamond Offshore tells us, however, it was not hired to close the well until 2009. We're waiting on Taylor and NOAA for an statement on how long and how much oil has been leaking.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/confirmed-there-is-a-second-leaking-rig-near-the-deepwater-2010-6#ixzz0qHkk5A00


http://www.businessinsider.com/confirmed-there-is-a-second-leaking-rig-near-the-deepwater-2010-6

[HughMoran]

6. How many $thousand per barrel spilled?

Make the fuckers pay. :mad:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

7. I'm interested in how many barrels of spilled oil Taylor Energy is going to own up to

Note how quickly Diamond Offshore was to jump back and point the finger at them? Even if it were a slow leak, after 6 years it's bound to be a significant amount of oil. That is if it's been leaking that whole time.

[a kennedy]

4. D*mn

:cry:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

8. Taylor Energy Denies Significant Gulf Leak, Says Photos From Unidentified Aircraft Were Misleading

From Taylor Energy:

Taylor Energy confirmed today that it is continuing its ongoing well intervention program, using the Diamond Ocean Saratoga, with full approval from Unified Command. The well intervention program at Mississippi Canyon Block 20 is the result of the destruction of a production platform caused by a mudslide triggered by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

The platform was toppled by a subsurface mud slide triggered by storm surges with 100 foot waves for 16-18 second periods.

Because the wells were covered by more than 100 feet of mud and sediment and only four wells were capable of production without pressure assistance, the associated surface sheen was minimal and never made landfall. As a result of deploying three subsurface containment domes and performing six successful well interventions, the initial average observed sheen volume of nine gallons per day has been substantially reduced.

Unidentified aircraft took photos this weekend that incorrectly reported an oil leak coming from the drilling rig Ocean Saratoga. At the time of these photos, Taylor Energy was actually conducting marine operations on site with a 180 foot dynamically positioned workboat for a regularly scheduled subsea containment system drainage. The tanks mistakenly characterized as containing dispersants on the boat’s deck, were actually tanks to store and transport the collected oil as it was pumped from the underwater storage system.

“The effort is continuing as directed by the Unified Command “said Will Pecue, President of Taylor Energy. “We have been working consistently and successfully with MMS and the U.S. Coast Guard to address the resulting environmental impacts of one of the ten most intense hurricanes ever recorded by the National Weather Service.”

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-energy-denies-second-gulf-leak-2010-6#ixzz0qIfOQVDE

[Octafish]

9. If it's not on the tee vee, it didn't happen.

So the beaches and air space and whatever else BP can control are off-limits.

[HughMoran]

10. Guy on Ed Shultz is bringing up this well!!!!

Now!

[mmonk]

12. Yep. Saw it. He was pretty pissed as well.

[WillyT]

11. Fuck... K & R !!!

:mad:

:kick:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

13. Sept. 2004 report to the National Incident Command Center re: oil coming from site

http://www.nrc.uscg.mil/reports/rwservlet?standard_web+inc_seq=735409