Chevron confirms Gulf of Mexico oil leak

A leak from a shallow water crude oil pipeline in the Main Pass Area of the Gulf of Mexico has led Chevron to shut down its offshore Louisiana Main Pass pipeline network, the company confirmed late Tuesday, adding that it expects the pipeline to be back in production within 24 hours. About 15,000 barrels per day of crude oil production was shut in due to the pipeline leak, Chevron says. The company did not provide any additional details on how significant the leak is or how it occurred. Carol Fagot, a spokeswoman at the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, told Reuters the agency was “aware of the report and looking into it,” without offering further details. Both the U.S. Coast Guard and the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office say they have not been informed of a leak off the coast.