Coast Guard: California oil leak likely caused by damage months ago

The submarine pipeline that caused a major oil spill off the coast of southern California was likely damaged by a ship’s anchor months before it leaked, the coast guard said.

Coast Guard Captain Jason Neubauer, chief of the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis, told a press conference on Friday that his office received video evidence indicating the pipeline was likely damaged “ago several months to a year “.

“This event could be multiple incidents and pipeline hitches after this initial event which we are fairly confident occurred several months to a year ago,” Neubauer said.

Video released Thursday shows the damaged portion of the pipeline exhibited a 13-inch crack and marine growth, Neubauer said.

The pipeline was intact as of October 2020, Neubauer said, but has since been dragged 105 feet. The pipeline had already been encased in concrete, which was intact a year ago.

“There was probably an initial incident of some sort of anchor drag on this section, but since that time there has been significant growth,” Neubauer said. “This refocused the … timeline of our investigation to at least several months to a year.”

Neubauer said an investigation was underway regarding the movement of ships on the pipeline over the past year. He also said authorities were examining a “violent weather event” that occurred on January 24 and 25 that could have made it harder to anchor ships.

Beta Offshore, which operates the pipeline, said last Saturday that it first observed and notified the Coast Guard an “oil burst” four miles off the coast of Southern California.

Authorities initially estimated that the amount of the oil spill could have reached 144,000 gallons. However, authorities said Thursday it could be less than 30,000 gallons, CBS Los Angeles reported.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that authorities were investigating a massive cargo ship that was anchored near the pipeline before it ruptured.

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