Divers determined that the pipeline was “longitudinally deflected” from its original position by more than twelve hundred meters. The relocation created a crack thirty-three centimeters long, said Rebecca Ore of the U.S. Coast Guard.
It was this institution that was tasked with investigating an incident in which a spill of nearly 573,000 gallons of oil into the ocean infested miles of coastline south of Los Angeles. Ore did not say exactly what caused the relocation and subsequent rupture of the pipeline casing.
Martyn Willsher, CEO of Amplify Energy, which operates the pipeline, said the pipeline now occupies an “almost semicircular” position. “The pipeline basically stretched like a bow. At the last point, it is thirty-two meters from its original location, “Willsher described.
He said on Monday that one of the investigative versions is damage to the pipeline by a ship anchor. This variant was also tested by the Coast Guard, according to which cargo ships normally pass over the pipeline.
Due to the accident, the California authorities closed several beaches and issued a ban on fishing in the affected zone. According to the AP, the closure can take several weeks. Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr called the leak an environmental disaster.
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