Oil Sheen Reported Near Southern California Platforms

A Unified Command has been established to respond to an oil sheen spotted offshore of Huntington Beach, California, near oil platforms.

Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach Command Center received a report at 6:50 p.m. Thursday of an unknown substance in the water 1.5 miles off the coast of Huntington Beach.

Watchstanders at Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach command center alerted Coast Guard Pollution Responders to investigate the incident, working with local and federal agencies. An on-the-water-investigation was launched at 6:30 a.m. with a Newport Harbor Patrol boat, and a Coast Guard helicopter conducted an overflight at sunrise.

An oil sheen was found spanning 2.5 miles in length and 0.5 miles in width approximately 2.8 miles off Huntington Beach, near the platforms Emmy and Eva.

So far the source of the sheen has not been identified.

The Coast Guard has hired an oil spill response company to conduct offshore oil collection and is working to identify possible impacts to the shoreline and environmental protection strategies.

No oiled wildlife have been reported.

The Unified Command includes representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW-OSPR), and Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

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