In November 2023, about 1.1 million gallons of crude oil spilled from a pipeline into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. The spill happened because the company running the pipeline, Third Coast, didn’t shut it down for nearly 13 hours after their equipment first showed something was wrong, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The NTSB found that underwater landslides caused by hurricanes and other natural events damaged the pipeline. These risks were well known in the industry, but Third Coast did not take enough action to protect their pipeline. The pipeline, called the Main Pass Oil Gathering 18-inch line, suffered because the company missed chances to check how land movement could impact its safety.
The oil company noticed pressure changes in the pipeline around 6:45 p.m. on November 15, when the volume of oil leaving the line started to drop. However, company supervisors advised against shutting it down immediately. Even when the flow stopped completely around 12:30 a.m., workers thought the problem was with the equipment, not a leak, so the pipeline stayed open. It wasn’t until morning that the day shift saw the issues and began shutting down the pipeline. The full shutdown happened by 9 a.m., and the leak was reported shortly after.
The spill caused about $30 million in damage. While this is much smaller than the massive BP spill in 2010, which released 134 million gallons, experts say the recent leak could have been much smaller. If the workers had acted faster, they might have reduced the amount of oil lost and the harm caused.
The spill alarmed environmental groups who worry about the impact on Gulf wildlife. This incident is a reminder of the ongoing risks pipelines face in areas affected by hurricanes and shifting land. In another case earlier in the year, officials had to clean up tens of thousands of gallons of crude from a decades-old well in southeast Louisiana.
Third Coast has not commented on the report. The NTSB’s findings highlight the need for better safety checks and quicker responses when warning signs appear, especially in regions prone to natural hazards.