HOUSTON – The Coast Guard said Wednesday morning it was monitoring the response to an oil spill near Calcasieu Point Landing near Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The Coast Guard said in a news release that responders from Marine Safety Unit Lake Charles received a report around 8:15 a.m. Monday about an unknown amount of oil in the water of an industrial canal north of Choupique Island.
The Coast Guard said pollution responders were dispatched to the site along with representatives from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Marine Division, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the Lake Charles Fire Department.
Investigators at the scene learned that the discharge escaped from the secondary containment at Martin Energy Services. The Coast Guard said Martin Energy Services personnel secured the source of the spill and estimated about 3,500 gallons of used lube oil entered the water. Martin Energy Services is a Houston-based company based on internet research and its website.
The oil spill response organization, hired by Martin Energy Services, OMI Environmental Solutions, placed over 2,000 feet of booms and contained the oil spill along the banks of the Lake Charles Industrial Canal.
LDWF personnel rescued seven pelicans with oil from the site of the oil spill. Environmental impact assessments are still ongoing.
The Coast Guard temporarily halted traffic along the Intracoastal Waterway during the initial assessment and cleanup. However, the Intracoastal Waterway is unaffected and has since reopened to shipping.
MSU Lake Charles teams are working closely with the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office, LDEQ, LDWF and Martin Energy Services to clean up the affected areas, mitigate the environmental impact and recover the oil.
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