Renewable Revolution

October 3, 2021 by Mike Schuler

Container ships wait off the coast of the congested Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in Long Beach, California, U.S., October 1, 2021. REUTERS/ Alan Devall


SNIPPET:

A unified command consisting of 🦖 Beta Offshore Amplify Energy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW-OSPR) is responding to the oil spill first reported Saturday approximately 3 miles off the coast of Newport Beach, California, near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The National Transportation Safety Board says it is now investigating the matter.

Here’s what we know so far.

The Coast Guard received an initial report of an oil sheen off the coast of Newport Beach Saturday at approximately 9:10 a.m. The size of the spill was initially reported to be 13 square miles.

The Coast Guard and Huntington Beach Police Department have dispatched aircraft to access the situation.

CDFW-OSPR is monitoring for oiled wildlife. Members of the public who encounter oiled wildlife, do not approach, rather call the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at 1-877-823-6926.

Members of the public are also asked to avoid any oiled areas, as oil spill response contractors are working to clean up. Public volunteers are not needed and could actually hinder response efforts, and the Unified Command is requesting that members of the public stay away from the area altogether. The cause of the spill, volume and type of oil are under investigation, according to the Unified Command.

However, the City of Huntington Beach, located just north of Newport Beach, has reported the spill at 126,000 gallons and has blamed a broken pipeline belonging to 🦖 Beta Offshore, which would be confirmed by the company’s involvement in the Unified Command. The City of Huntington Beach issued a statement Sunday, reading in part:

“Approx. 126,000 gallons of oil leaked from a broken pipeline and are entering HB beaches and wetlands . Beta Offshore is responsible for the spill and is working with the Incident Management Team on repairs and cleanup efforts. The City will work to ensure the responsible parties do everything possible to rectify this environmental disaster…. Our ocean and shorelines are closed indefinitely, FROM SEAPOINT TO THE SANTA ANA RIVER JETTY. Please do not enter the shoreline or water…Protecting our wetlands is one of our highest priorities. The City has deployed over 2,000 feet of protective booms at 7 locations. However, we are seeing oiled wildlife wash ashore.”

The City has also cancelled the Pacific Airshow scheduled for Sunday, a major event for the area.

The map below was shared Sunday by the City of Huntington Beach and shows approximately size and location of the spill:

Map published by City of Huntington Beach

🦖 Beta Offshore, a subsidiary of Amplify Energy (NYSE: AMPY), proclaims to be “one of the largest 😈 oil producers in Southern California. We operate three offshore platforms in the Beta Field, located 12 miles south of Long Beach.” Those three platforms are named Ellen, Eureka and Elly. Platform Elly is a processing platform for both production platforms Ellen and Eureka, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environment.

According to Amplify’s website, “The Beta properties also include the San Pedro Bay Pipeline Company, which owns and operates a 16- inch diameter oil pipeline [on the seabed] that extends approximately 17.5 miles from one of the Beta platforms to the Beta pump station located onshore at the Port of Long Beach, California, and an onshore tankage and metering facility.” Amplify lists Beta’s production as 3.6 thousand barrels of oil per day on average in Q2 2021.

Here’s where it gets a little interesting… 👀

The location of the spill, 3 miles off Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, also happens to be just south of where there were more than 82 ships anchored and awaiting to enter the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as of Friday, according to the Marine Exchange of Southern California.

Credit: Marine Exchange of Southern California

The southernmost anchorage, the Huntington Beach Contingency Anchorage, was occupied with 8 containerships and 2 🦕 tankers as of last Wednesday, the Marine Exchange of Southern California reported on Sep. 29. It’s likely this anchorage has remained full.

AIS screenshot as of 3:38 PM PT, Sunday, October 3, 2021. Image courtesy MarineTraffic.com
Did an anchor strike cause the pipeline leak reported as the source of a major oil spill afflicting Huntington Beach this weekend?
Full article with Updates:
https://gcaptain.com/everything-we-know-about-the-southern-california-oil-spill-right-now/