http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2011/08/bp_investigating_new_oil_sheen.html
Times-Picayune
Oil giant BP says it is investigating a new sheen in the Gulf of Mexico
Published: Thursday, August 18, 2011, 6:03 AM Updated: Thursday, August 18, 2011, 6:03 AM
By The Associated Press
Patrick Semansky, The Associated Press
Oil giant BP said Thursday it is investigating a new oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico, like this one near the Mocando oil well in July 2010. The company did not disclose the location, but did say it was not near any of their current operations.
A catastrophic explosion at the energy giant’s Macondo well in the Gulf on April 2010 killed 11 men and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
BP did not make clear Thursday what the source of the new sheen was, but told The Associated Press in London it was not found near “any existing BP operations.” A sheen is a shiny coating that floats on the surface of the water, and could come from leaked or spilled oil.
London-based BP spokeswoman Sheila Williams said that “there is a lot of sheen in the Gulf of Mexico area” and that the substance did not necessarily come from a BP site or well.
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http://www.news-journalonline.com/breakingnews/2011/08/bp-oil-sheen-probed-in-gulf-of-mexico.html
The Daytona Beach News Journal
Remote mini-sub probes Gulf of Mexico oil sheen
ASSOCIATED PRESS
August 18, 2011 7:15 AM
LONDON — Oil giant BP is investigating a new sheen in the Gulf of Mexico with a remote-controlled mini-sub but says there is no immediate indication it was the result of a new oil spill.
A catastrophic April 2010 explosion at BP’s Macondo well in the Gulf killed 11 men and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, although BP’s description of the site of the new sheen and a statement from a U.S. official seemed to indicate that the discovery wasn’t near where the Macondo well blew up.
A sheen is a shiny coating that floats on the surface of the water, and could come from leaked or spilled oil. BP did not make clear what the source of the sheen was, but told The Associated Press it was not found near “any existing BP operations.”
BP said in a statement today the sheen was found near two abandoned exploration well sites in the Green Canyon Block in the Gulf of Mexico. According to an online map by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Green Canyon Block — a large square-shaped area of water south of Louisiana — is south and west of the Mississippi Canyon Block where BP’s Macondo well blew up.
“They are not investing any sheens in the vicinity of the BP well,” Paul Barnard, Operations Controller for New Orleans’ sector of the Coast Guard, told the AP today.
U.S.-based BP spokesman Daren Beaudo said the company had sent a remotely operated mini-sub to examine the abandoned exploration wells over the weekend.
Some oil naturally seeps from the floor of the Gulf, and the AP has reported that at least 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells in the Gulf are not routinely inspected when plugged or subsequently monitored for leaks.
BP’s operations in the Gulf of Mexico have seen particular scrutiny following the 2010 disaster and it remains the area’s largest leaseholder, but other energy companies have operations in the Gulf as well.
Special thanks to Richard Charter