Coast Guard responding to oil discharge in Rattle Snake Bayou

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 8th District Heartland Contact: 8th District Public Affairs Office: (504) 671-2020 After Hours: (618) 225-9008 Eighth District online newsroom December 9, 2018

Coast Guard responding to oil discharge in Rattle Snake Bayou

 

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NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard is responding to an oil discharge near Port Sulphur, Louisiana, Sunday. 

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report from the National Response Center that a crude oil well in Rattle Snake Bayou, southwest of Port Sulphur, was reported to be leaking. The amount discharged has not been determined; the well is rated to produce 5,476 gallons of oil per day. It is unknown when the discharge began.

The source of the discharge has not been secured. Hilcorp, the owner of the well, has contracted ES&H as an oil spill response organization. ES&H currently has 4 response boats and 13 personnel conducting containment and cleanup operations. Wild Well Control has been contracted to work on securing the source.  

Hilcorp also contracted an overflight of the incident; a Coast Guard helicopter conducted an aerial assessment as well.

 Also involved in the response are:

• Plaquemines Parish Sherriff’s Department
• Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office
• National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration

The Coast Guard has issued a Safety Marine Information Broadcast to inform boaters in the area of the spill.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.