Just hours after the ship arrived at the Port of Long Beach this weekend, a team of federal investigators boarded MSC DANIT Panama-registered to investigate the cause of the spillage. This was the exact area where the leak was first discovered in October.
Coast Guard Lt. J.g. believes that the anchor was dragged by the ship’s crew during a January storm. SondraKay Kneen stated Sunday.
Kneen stated that the impact would have knocked off a one-inch thick concrete casing from the pipe, pulling it over 100 feet (30 m), but not breaking it.
Kneen stated that it is still unclear if the October leak was caused by an impact or if the line was damaged due to a preexisting condition.
She said, “We are still looking at multiple ships and scenarios.”
Saturday’s Coast Guard investigation into the spillage revealed that the operator and owner were parties of interest. The operator was estimated to have released approximately 25,000 gallons (94.635 liters), of crude oil into the water, killing fish and birds.
A few miles from Huntington Beach, Orange County, the accident caused a pollution of beaches and wetlands. It also led to temporary closures in order to do cleanup. Although it was not as severe as originally thought, the incident has rekindled the debate about offshore drilling in federal waters of the Pacific. This is where hundreds of miles worth of pipelines were placed decades ago.
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company is the operator of DANIT. It is located in Switzerland and boasts 600 vessels and more that 100,000 employees, according to the company.
MSC representatives didn’t respond immediately to emails seeking comment. The company’s Geneva headquarters was answered by a security guard who said that it would be closed on Monday.
The Coast Guard identified the vessel’s owner as Dordellas Finance Corporation. However, they were unable to reach them for comment.
According to marine traffic monitoring sites, the DANIT arrived in Long Beach on Saturday after traveling from China.
