New Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: 5 Fast Facts You Need To Know

This map illustrates the Location of leaking ERT platform.

A well in the Gulf of Mexico has begun to leak uncontrollably. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Houma District staff and Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit-Morgan City personnel are responding to the event and monitoring well control and pollution response efforts in Energy Resources Technology’s (ERT) Command Center in Houston.

It has been reported that the platform in question has been cited with 12 incidents of non-compliance since 2008.

Here’s what we know so far…

1. The Leak Is Taking Place 74 Miles Southwest of Fourchon, Louisiana

The platform, located approximately 74 miles southwest of Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The platform, called the Ship Shoal Block 225 Platform B., is responsible for natural gas and crude oil extraction.

2. The Owner Reported the Leak

Authorities received a report from Energy Resources Technology (ERT) Gulf of Mexico LLC, the owner of the well, about a loss of control over the flow of the fossil fuels through one of their wells.

3. Workers Attempted To Plug The Leak

When ERT became aware of the leak, workers were deployed in an attempt to craft a temporary plug for the leak on Ship Shoal Block 225 Well #B2. Workers come to the conclusion that the flow of the well was uncontrollable. The two other wells on the platform were subsequently shut down and the emergency was declared.

4. There’s a Massive Slick on the Water

Natural gas is currently flowing from the well. The BSEE performed flyovers earlier in the day. At this time there is a visible “rainbow sheen” on the surface of the water, currently said to be “more than four miles wide and three-quarters of a mile long.”

5. All Personnel Were Safely Evacuated

The US Coast Guard have released a statement on the issue: