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In late December 2011, Royal Dutch Shell decided to shut down its drilling rig off the Alabama coast following a fluid leak that spilled into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This shut down sparked fears in some coastal residents and workers of another oil spill like that which happened in 2010. The fluid leak was determined to consist of approximately 7,600 gallons of synthetic and biodegradable drilling fluid leaking from a booster line.
Unlike the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon spill, the Shell leak came from a line connected to a vessel supplying the drilling fluid. In the 2010 spill, the leak came from the ocean floor. That spill occurred approximately 7,300 feet beneath the ocean surface. The Shell leak did, however, take place at the same Mississippi Canyon drilling site as the BP spill. Shell reports that the leak consisted of 319 barrels of fluid.
The Coast Guard received the report of the leak and stated that nearly half of the leak consisted of oil. According to the Southern Environmental Law Center, the drilling conducted by Shell is part of an exploration plan that is currently being challenged in federal court. In response to the leak, officials from the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement approved a plan to allow Shell to temporarily stop drilling and make repairs to the leaking line.
The Alabama maritime injury attorneys at Vujasinovic & Beckom, P.L.L.C. hope that the Shell oil leak will be resolved quickly and without damage to the local wildlife and maritime industries in the area.
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