A final determination for the cause of the spill may take months, but Coast Guard investigators have come up with no other explanation than anchor drag, federal sources said.
On Tuesday, diver reports and footage from remotely operated submarines showed that a 4,000-foot section of a nearly 18-mile oil pipeline had been displaced approximately 105 feet and had a 13-inch split along its length, according to the Joint Unified Command, which is overseeing the investigation.The displacement, federal sources said, is best explained by a ship’s anchor dragging across the ocean floor and hooking into the pipeline.
Despite high temperatures Friday, winds were light, and the sky was clear. No marine hazards had been forecast.While an accident like this would be unusual, given the history of ships safely anchoring in the harbors, traffic has dramatically increased since July. Ships entering the harbor can be sent to one of 60 locations, identified by the Coast Guard and Marine Exchange, to safely drop their anchors, said Louttit. On Friday afternoon, nearly 55 of those sites were occupied, a number that has remained consistent over the last few months.The sites are away from pipelines, sewage outfalls and underwater communication lines that snake across the ocean floor.
An overflow section off Huntington Beach, located between a series of oil platforms, was also being used, but ships have not been assigned to that area since the oil spill.Much like an air traffic control center, the Marine Exchange organizes the flow of vessels coming in and out of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Their work, said Louttit, begins as soon as a ship comes within four days, or 800 miles, of the ports.
When there is an opening for them in the anchorage, they proceed to a specific latitude and longitude, where they drop their anchor. The Marine Exchange can direct them either to an area close to the Long Beach breakwater or down the coast off Huntington Beach.Most ships are 200 yards to 400 yards long, and the Marine Exchange, which stays in touch with the captain during anchoring operations, gives ships a 100-yard leeway in hitting their coordinate.
While traffic is circulating throughout the harbor 24/7, most ships start moving toward their assigned berths at 4 a.m., approximately four hours before the longshoremen start the morning shift.In the days ahead, studying ship movements — down to the hour — will become critical to identifying the vessel responsible for the oil spill.
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