U.S. investigates possible oil sheen off Louisiana coast

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is looking into reports of an oil sheen in the Green Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico.

By

Reuters

Thu, Aug 18 2011 at 2:35 PM

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MORE OIL IN THE GULF?: BP said the oil sheen did not appear to originate from any of its offshore wells in the area, and dismissed reports that the oil had come from its capped Macondo well, the source of the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. (Pho

HOUSTON - The government said it was investigating reports of an oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana, and BP Plc said its offshore wells were not the culprit.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the federal offshore drilling regulator, was looking into reports of an oil sheen in the Green Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico 100 miles south of the Louisiana coast, a bureau spokeswoman said.

"(The agency) is working with area operators to determine if the sheen is associated with any permanently abandoned wells in the area," bureau spokeswoman Caryl Fagot said.

BP said the oil sheen did not appear to originate from any of its offshore wells in the area, and dismissed reports that the oil had come from its capped Macondo well, the source of the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

The Macondo well, 50 miles south of the Louisiana coast, released more than 4 million barrels of oil before being capped on July 15, 2010. The well was cemented and permanently sealed on September 19, 2010.

"There are online reports claiming that the Macondo well is leaking and BP has responded with boats and boom," the company said in a statement. "None of this is true."

BP said the well continues to be monitored for leaks.

BP said the Green Canyon sheen was unrelated to a small oil sheen at its Thunder Horse platform which it reported to the National Response Center on August 16.

That sheen — a fraction of a gallon — came from a produced water stream which had been subsequently adjusted and the platform is operating normally, BP said.

(Reporting by Bruce Nichols and Erwin Seba; Editing by John Picinich)