Americas News
Mystery Oil Sheen Near Deepwater Horizon Site
The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating an oil sheen that appeared last month near the site of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, CNN reports.
The four-mile sheen was first spotted on satellite photographs last month, and the Coast Guard has collected samples, with results due in a few weeks.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) opened a report on the incident on September 17.
"Although the source of these sheens may be the wrecked BP Macondo Well, this relationship has not been established at this time," the report said.
An update to the report on October 5 said that there are still "mystery sheens" in the area, but they are "barely discernible."
NOAA also said the sheen is similar to one found in August 2011 which was determined to most likely come from a natural seep rather than from the Macondo Well.
A Coast Guard officer told the Times-Picayune that the oil from the sheen is not recoverable, but that it also has no chance of reaching land.
An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20, 2010, resulted in about 4.9 million barrels being spilled into the U.S. Gulf.
