Oil spill contained off of El Segundo
Yellow boom contains oil spilled from a tanker off of El Segundo on Wednesday. Photo by Bob Sievers
An estimated one barrel of light gas oil spilled into the ocean from an oil tanker anchored 1.5 miles off of El Segundo Wednesday, at 11:30 a.m. The leak came from a flange connecting the ship to a subsea line that transports oil to the El Segundo Marine Terminal.
The leak came during a safety test of the offloading system that is conducted before oil offloading begins, according to Chevron Spokesperson Jeff Wilson.
The Boomer, out of King Harbor, was one of three safety ships deployed to contain the spill.
Three response boats deployed approximately 1,000 feet of yellow boom to contain the spill. The boom was in the water within 15 minutes of the spill and there were no reports of marine wildlife injuries or oil reaching shore, Wilson said.
The Coast Guard and the National Response Center were notified and an incident command center was established at the Chevron refinery. A barrel of oil is 40 gallons. ER