US Coast Guard struggle to contain New Orleans Oil Spill

By maritimemag September 15, 2019

The US Coast Guard is continuing efforts on containing an oil spill on the Mississippi River in New Orleans.

First assets were deployed on September 11 after a helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans observed a sheen on the water earlier in the day during a routine overflight.

Fifteen hundred feet of boom has been deployed to contain the sheen while oil spill response company OMI Environmental Solutions has been contracted to contain and recover the product.

The Coast Guard is yet to provide details on the cause or source of the spill. The incident is still under investigation.

In addition to US Coast Guard assets, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office has joined the response effort and six oil spill response boats have been on site as of September 13.

The Coast Guard said earlier that the shoreline is projected to be minimally impacted.