Coast Guard continues to respond to pipeline blaze

MARCH 13, 2013 —  In an update to an earlier statement, the Coast Guard says it continues to respond to the allision between a tug pushing a barge resulting in a pipeline fire near Bayou Perot 30 miles south of New Orleans (see earlier report).

ES & H, the oil spill response organization, is on scene and has mobilized 7,218 feet of containment boom and 6,000 feet of 18-inch  containment boom, one cabin boat, five responder class boats, one Marco skimmer and two 24-foot express hull vessels in response to the incident.

There are 2,215 barrels of crude on the barge and approximately 1,000 gallons of diesel on the tug.

A Coast Guard overflight is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday to conduct shoreline impacts and assessments.

There is a one mile by 75 foot-wide sheen reported in the vicinity of the tug and barge.

The owner of the pipeline is Chevron, and the owner of both the barge and the 47-foot tug Shanon E. Settoon  is Setoon Towing LLC.

The pipeline was shut in Wednesday evening, and the Coast Guard says the fire will diminish as the product diminishes.