Divers have found evidence of the suspected cause of the oil spill off the southern California coast. A pipeline on the ocean floor was bent and had a crack over 30 centimeters long, the US Coast Guard announced on Tuesday. According to this, a 1.2-kilometer piece of the 28-kilometer pipeline had been moved sideways. The pipeline connects a production platform in the Pacific with a facility in the port of Long Beach.
The pipeline has a bend “like a semicircle” of about 32 meters, announced the operating company on Tuesday. Company boss Martyn Willsher spoke of an unusual event, the cause of which is being investigated. It was possible that the pipeline was hit by the anchor of a ship, Willsher said on Monday.
The oil film on the sea surface was discovered on Friday. The amount of spilled oil is now estimated at around 550,000 liters. Along the coast south of Los Angeles, numerous beaches have been closed due to the environmental disaster, including the popular seaside resorts of Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach.
Over a dozen boats and more than 300 helpers on the beach are in action in the fight against the oil spill. Governor Gavin Newsom has declared the district a state of emergency in order to provide more staff and resources. Environmentalists reported oil-smeared birds and dead fish.