Shell Oil Spill

2,100 barrels of oil, or 88,200 gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico on May the 12th 2016. The oil spill occurred after an underwater pipeline that is operated by Royal Dutch Shell leaked, resulting in a 2 mile by 13 mile slick on the oceans surface. The spill has been classed as a medium sized spill and production has been stopped until the leak is repaired. The leak occurred at the Glider Field area which is a group of four subsea wells that is in Shell’s Green Canyon Block region. The four wells produce natural gas and oil and the leak was discovered by helicopter.

“The likely cause of the sheen is a release of oil from subsea infrastructure and, in response, Shell has isolated the leak and shut-in production at both fields” – Shell Statement

Shell launched a coordinated response to the spill in conjunction with the United States Coast Guard and we have been told that as soon as the source of the leak was discovered, an investigation into the cause of it had been launched. Shell are hoping to recover as much of the watery oil mixture as possible so that they can limit the damage to the environment.

BP Oil Spill

Oil spills have become all too common in the Gulf of Mexico in recent years, most notably the 2010 BP oil spill which resulted in severe damage to the surrounding environment and wildlife as an estimated 134 million gallons of oil spilled out into the Gulf until the hole was capped 87 days later.