Approximately 1.1 million gallons of crude oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico in November 2023, due to a 13-hour delay in pipeline shutdown by operators, according to findings disclosed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday. The spill, which occurred off the coast of Louisiana, was attributed to underwater landslides, a consequence of geological threats including hurricanes that pipeline owner, Third Coast, failed to adequately manage despite being prevalent within the industry.
The NTSB report highlighted that Third Coast missed multiple opportunities to assess and manage geohazards that jeopardized the pipeline’s integrity. Available industry data had previously indicated that land movements linked to hurricane activity posed a significant threat to pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, including the MPOG (Main Pass Oil Gathering) 18-inch pipeline.
Despite attempts to contact Third Coast, the company did not respond to calls and emails seeking comments on the report as of Thursday afternoon. Environmental organizations at the time voiced concerns regarding the leak’s adverse effects on wildlife and the Gulf ecosystem. NTSB approximated the damage caused by the spill at $30 million.
While the volume of oil spilled was considerably less than the 2010 BP oil disaster, which saw 134 million gallons released after an oil rig explosion, the NTSB noted that the spill’s impact could have been further minimized with a prompt response from Third Coast’s control room workers. The initial pressure drops were detected approximately 45 minutes after a controller’s shift began at 6 p.m. on November 15, 2023. The gauges revealed that the oil exiting the pipeline was less than the inflow, finally falling to zero by around 12:30 a.m. the next day.
The controller’s supervisor advised against shutting down the pipeline as the pressure dropped, believing the data reflected equipment malfunctions. When the flow ceased entirely, the team chose not to act based on this assumption. It wasn’t until the next morning when the day shift noted the continuing trend and total lack of output that Third Coast proceeded with shutting down the pipeline at approximately 6:30 a.m. The shutdown was completed by 9 a.m., and the leak was reported to the Environmental Protection Agency shortly afterward.
In a separate incident in late April, federal authorities were engaged in cleaning up tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil from another smaller spill originating from an aging well in southeast Louisiana.