Incident Responses for November 2023

Every month, NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R)’s Emergency Response Division provides scientific expertise and services to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), ranging from producing oil spill trajectories that estimate where a spill may spread; to identifying possible effects on wildlife and fisheries; to estimating how long oil may stay in the environment. We also receive requests to track and model other floating objects, such as log booms or shipping containers that have broken free, whale carcasses, fish die-offs, and algal blooms.

So far this year, OR&R has provided support for 150 incidents. During November 2023, OR&R provided response support for 28 incidents, including 13 new incidents in eight different states. The 13 new incidents were all actual or potential spills, for which OR&R staff prepared 194 incident reports and documents, including eleven fate and trajectory analyses. Cumulatively, these incidents posed an approximate risk of more than 1,229,000 gallons of oil⁠.

(Note: All spill volumes are approximate and based on initial information that may be updated after further investigation.) 

Here are some of November’s notable incidents:

On the morning of November 16, a release of crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, was reported to NOAA via the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard; Main Pass Oil Gathering Company, LLC; and the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office established a Unified Command. OR&R oil spill scientists, along with specialists from other NOAA offices, have been supporting the response since that time.

The leak location was thought to be 19 miles offshore of the Mississippi River Delta; however, the exact location, time of the release, and the amount of oil are still being evaluated. The oil has been identified by OR&R chemists as South Louisiana sweet crude oil. The cause and source of the leak remain under investigation.

NOAA is engaged in multiple ways in this incident:

• OR&R provided, and continues to provide, scientific support, including spill trajectory and fate modeling, information on resources at risk, and coordination of NOAA capabilities with the spill response. OR&R obtained and analyzed samples from the pipeline to characterize the oil’s physical and chemical properties, enabling the response team to better predict how the oil will move and its impacts on the environment. NOAA scientific support staff reported to the incident command post on November 16, and will continue to provide technical assistance to the Federal On-scene Coordinator (USCG) and the Unified Command, as requested.
• NOAA Ship Oregon II was conducting a groundfish survey in the surrounding area and played a key role in the initial observation of the slick, and reported observations to OR&R to assist with assessments and trajectory forecasting.
• OR&R has begun the initial phase of a Natural Resource Damage Assessment, with a lead coordinator deploying on-scene on November 18 to gather information and begin coordination of on-scene assessment work. OR&R is also engaged with co-Trustees from the State of Louisiana and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on injury assessment for Natural Resource Damage Assessment.
• NOAA Fisheries is supporting the response effort by engaging with the Unified Command Wildlife Operations Branch to identify and intervene for our trust species (especially marine mammals and sea turtles) in the event that they are identified as oiled; to date, there have not been any oiled mammals or sea turtles observed as part of this release. NOAA Fisheries is also providing best management practices to mitigate the impact of cleanup activities on marine habitats and species, and providing technical support related to endangered and threatened species in the area including the Rice’s whale, giant manta ray, and sea turtles, for both response and Natural Resource Damage Assessment.
• Satellite imagery is being used to identify the possibility of oil presence via Marine Pollution Surveillance Reports, produced by the Satellite Analysis Branch within NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. The satellite imagery will continue to be made available, as needed.
• NOAA’s National Weather Service forecast office in New Orleans provided forecasts to support the response efforts. The specialists briefed the USCG, National Transportation Safety Board, and the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness on weather conditions, including sea state and winds, and they will continue to provide spot forecasts, as needed.