Vessel hits pipe in Gulf, causing spill

A vessel hit a pipeline Sunday morning in the Gulf of Mexico about 60 miles south of Venice, causing an oil spill two miles wide and eight miles long, the Coast Guard said.

The crude-oil spill was discovered about 8 a.m., and the leaking pipeline was fixed at 12:45 p.m., the Coast Guard said.

Investigators said it appears an unidentified vessel hit a discharge pipeline on a well owned by Boise de Arc of Houston.

The Coast Guard and two clean-up companies hired by Boise de Arc were working to contain the spill and prevent it from reaching shore. By mid-afternoon Sunday, the spill was about eight miles from the east bank of Plaquemines Parish.
from the Times Picayune