A large oil spill in the Pacific off the coast of California stretched for miles Saturday and was expected to reach some beaches in Southern California, according to reports. About 3,000 barrels of crude oil were estimated to have spilled from Platform Elly. The offshore rig is operated by Beta Offshore, a Long Beach, California-based unit of Houston-based Amplify Energy Corp., according to the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.
In Newport Beach, officials were expecting the slick to reach the shore late Saturday between Balboa Pier and the Corona del Mar Main Beach, according to the newspaper. Some oil was also believed to have reached Talbert Marsh, an ecological reserve in the area.
Earlier in the day, U.S. Coast Guard officials said personnel were responding to an oil slick about 11 miles long off Huntington Beach, the Register reported.
Analyst View
This is the environment under threat again. Oil spillages are capable of snuffing life off aquatic organisms and changing the dynamics of the underwater metabolism of organisms. It is no friend of holiday-makers and beach frenzy visitors. This is another count in underwater carbon toxicity. One can only hope that the impact of the spillage is moderated over an expanse of lane and sea.
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