Chevron says Gulf oil pipeline leaked just 2.3 gallons

A crude oil pipeline leak this week at a shallow-water platform operated by Chevron Corp. in the Main Pass Area of the Gulf of Mexico released 2.3 gallons, the company told Reuters Wednesday. The company says it is evaluating options to repair the pipeline, which remains shut, and that there was no recoverable volume of oil visible in the open water. Chevron confirmed late Tuesday that it had shut in 15,000 barrels per day of oil output and expected to restart partial production within 24 hours. The company’s statement on Wednesday makes no mention of the shut-in and restart, and a spokesman did not respond to inquiries about them. Chevron says the Main Pass 299 platform connects with the Cypress Pipeline and moves about 9,000 barrels of oil per day. The leak was first reported to the U.S. National Response Center on Monday morning, with a then-unknown amount of crude having leaked into the gulf. A second report to the NRC a little more than an hour later said 1.075 gallons of oil had leaked into the sea over four minutes. That filing also said booms and absorbents were applied and the systems were shut. The Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s office says it is monitoring the spill with Chevron.