California Oil Pipeline Torn Open, Dragged on Ocean Floor, Officials Say

Cleanup efforts continue after an offshore oil spill released heavy crude into the ocean not far from Southern California beaches.

The pipeline that leaked the oil into the water may have been caught by a ship’s anchor and torn as it was apparently dragged along the ocean floor, authorities said Tuesday.

Federal transportation investigators said preliminary reports suggest the failure may have been “caused by an anchor that hooked the pipeline, causing a partial tear.”

The break in the line occurred about 5 miles offshore at a depth of about 98 feet (30 meters) beneath the surface, the investigators said, again citing preliminary findings.

Those findings were included in a Tuesday order from the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

The order blocks the company from restarting the pipeline until it carries out extensive inspections and testing to make sure the line is sound.

The order did not identify the source of the investigators’ information, and agency officials did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

Coast Guard Capt. Rebecca Ore said divers determined about 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) of the pipeline was “laterally displaced” by about 105 feet (32 meters). She did not say what might have caused it to move.

In addition, the pipeline had a 13-inch (33-centimeters) gash in it, Ore said.

The head of the company that operates the line said the pipe was displaced into “almost a semicircle."

Officials said Monday that they were considering whether a ship’s anchor might have caused the oil spill that has fouled beaches in Orange County.

There was no confirmation Tuesday that the leak was caused by an anchor.

The Coast Guard did not investigate initial reports of an oil spill for nearly 12 hours because it did not have enough corroborating evidence and was hindered by darkness and a lack of technology, an official told The Associated Press earlier Tuesday.

Safety advocates have pushed for years for federal rules that would strengthen oil spill detection requirements and force companies to install valves that can automatically shut down the flow of crude in case of a leak.

The oil and pipeline industries have resisted such requirements because of the high cost.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm
Subscribe to our newest channel Quicktake Explained: https://bit.ly/3iERrup

Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world.

To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app.

Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30

Connect with us on…
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg
Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews
Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake

Видео California Oil Pipeline Torn Open, Dragged on Ocean Floor, Officials Say канала Bloomberg Quicktake