U.S. Coast Guard Investigates Possible Ship Collision with Oil Pipeline – LA Times By Reuters

The U.S. Coast Guard conducted an inspection of a vessel in Oakland on Wednesday, investigating the potential involvement of a ship’s anchor in an oil spill incident off the California coast, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.

Unnamed sources familiar with the investigation indicated that the inquiry regarding whether an anchor damaged the pipeline is in its preliminary stages. However, the report did not specify which ship was being inspected by officials.

The U.S. Coast Guard has referred inquiries to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), the federal agency overseeing the investigation. A spokesperson for PHMSA was unavailable for immediate comment.

Amplify Energy, the company that owns the pipeline and associated rigs, reported on Tuesday that oil seemed to have escaped through a 13-inch gash in the pipeline, which was described as being “pulled like a bowstring” approximately 105 feet from its expected location.