Records obtained by AP show the Coast Guard received multiple reports of a possible fuel spill off the Southern California coast earlier than previously disclosed.
U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Commander Jeannie Shaye said an official report came from the National Response Center after dark on Friday. She could not immediately answer questions about the marine radio calls that, according to the county memo, came in before that time or the harbor patrol’s search on Friday.
Miyoko Sakashita, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the Coast Guard should have responded more aggressively after getting the initial reports. Rear Adm. Brian Penoyer previously told the AP that the Coast Guard put out a radio broadcast to vessels in the area and oil platforms looking for reports confirming a possible spill. But Capt. Rebecca Ore, the unified response commander, said no such broadcasts were made.
The next morning, the Coast Guard reached out again to the Harbor Patrol, and its hazardous materials investigators went out on a county fireboat. Authorities on that boat located a miles-long black plume several miles offshore, the memo said. Federal investigators are examining whether the Panama-registered MSC DANIT, a 1,200-foot container ship, was dragging anchor during a Jan. 25 storm and snagged the pipeline and dragged it on the seabed. It’s not known why the leak occurred eight months later. Authorities are looking into whether other anchors hit and weakened the pipeline or if a preexisting condition with the line was to blame.
Pete Stauffer, environmental director for Surfrider Foundation, which is working as a liaison between non-governmental agencies and the unified command for the spill response, said a swift response to a spill is key to limiting damage.
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