U.S. Coast Guard boards ship in connection with California oil spill
Send a link to a friend
[October 18, 2021]
(Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard
boarded a container ship on Saturday in the Port of Long Beach that
dragged its anchor close to a subsea pipeline found to be the source of
an oil spill off Orange County, California, it said in a press release.
The spill released some 3,000 barrels (126,000 gallons) of crude oil
into the Pacific Ocean, killing wildlife, blackening the coastline and
forcing officials to close beaches south of Los Angeles.
In its statement, the Coast Guard said an investigation had determined
that the MSC DANIT was involved in the anchor-dragging incident "during
a heavy weather event" that impacted Long Beach and Los Angeles ports in
January.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Oct/18/images/ads/current/ldn_sda_062409.png)
As a result, it said, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A., which
operates the vessel, and Dordellas Finance Corporation, the ship's
owner, have been designated by the Coast Guard as parties of interest in
the investigation.
The designation allows the companies to be represented by counsel,
examine and cross-examine witnesses, and call witnesses who are relevant
to the investigation, the Coast Guard said.
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company did not immediately respond to a
request for comment. The Dordellas Finance Corporation could not
immediately be reached for comment.
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/101821PIX/news_b37.jpg)
Workers rake up globs of crude oil after more than 3,000 barrels
(126,000 gallons) of crude oil leaked from a ruptured pipeline into
the Pacific Ocean in Corona Del Mar State Beach, Newport Beach,
California, U.S. October 7, 2021. Picture taken with a drone.
REUTERS/David Swanson
![](../images/ads/current/centraldirect_lda_SPONSOR_2021.png)
The Coast Guard said the investigation was ongoing
and that "multiple pipeline scenarios" as well as additional vessels
of interest continue to be investigated.
Amplify Energy, which owns the pipeline, has said it was "pulled
like a bowstring" about 105 feet (32 meters) from where it should
have been.
(Reporting by Sheila Dang in Dallas; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Oct/18/images/ads/current/castlemanor_sda_FINANCIAL_2017.png) |