Coast Guard checks report of Gulf oil slick near Shell wells

The Coast Guard was checking reports this morning of a 10-mile oil sheen in the Gulf of Mexico near wells operated by Shell Oil. A helicopter with a pollution officer on board was headed out to determine the source of the oil, Coast Guard Petty Officer Steve Lehmann in New Orleans says. A report is expected to come out later today. Shares in Royal Dutch Shell PLC fell in European trading early this morning after the company reported a “light sheen” of oil about one mile long and 10 miles wide in the general area of two of its production platforms in the oil and gas prospects called Mars and Ursa. Shell says the source of the sheen is unknown, and that the company had no indication the sheen originated from its wells, about 130 miles southeast of New Orleans. Shell sent a response ship to skim the area as a precaution. Early reports could not determine whether oil was continuing to flow at the site near the Shell platforms. The Mars and Ursa fields are producing oil and natural gas from huge tension-leg production platforms. The Mars platform is in 2,900 feet of water; Ursa is in 4,000 feet of water. The sheen was reported in an area about 50 miles from the site of BP’s Macondo well, which blew out in April 2010 and created the nation’s worst offshore oil disaster. The now-plugged Macondo well is in about 5,000 feet of water.