The cause of the oil spill may be the anchors

Authorities in California, USA, are investigating whether there was an anchor from a ship that damaged a pipeline at sea and caused more than 570,000 liters of oil to spill off Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles.

Cargo ships en route to the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports regularly pass through the area.

“We’re investigating if it might have been an anchor from a ship, but it’s being evaluated now,” says Jenny Shay of the Coast Guard.

2.5 kilometers of pipeline under investigation

Divers examined nearly 2.5 kilometers of the pipeline and further focused on a special section, Amplify Energy CEO Martin Welcher said at a press conference.

Since the oil began leaking last Saturday, it has spread 30 miles and is feared to cause serious damage to wildlife in the area. The beaches around the spill may have to close for several weeks to come.

‘carefully optimistic’

There was great concern for wildlife after the oil spill, but at a press conference Monday, only four oil birds were found, one of which was in such poor condition that it had to be killed, the Associated Press reports.

It’s much better than we feared, said Michael Ziccardi, veterinarian and president of Oiled Wildlife Care Netork.

– I’m cautiously optimistic, but it’s too soon to tell how much the emissions will affect wildlife just yet.