HOUSTON, April 12 (Reuters) – Heavy Louisiana Sweet crude was identified as the oil that leaked from a Louisiana pipeline near the mouth of the Mississippi River last week, a spill still undergoing cleanup, a spokesman said Monday.
The pipeline remained shut, and HLS sold more than $1 stronger at $2.60 a barrel over West Texas Intermediate Monday, but traders said the entire cash crude complex was stronger due to weakening of WTI against which cash crudes are priced.
Pipeline operator Chevron Pipe Line Co has not detailed operational impacts, but the leak occurred about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Venice, Louisiana, and experts said alternate pipeline routes likely were available to carry the oil.
Wildlife impact is ‘minimal’ from the spill of 18,000 gallons (68,100 liters) of oil into Delta National Wildlife Refuge, said a news release issued jointly by the state of Louisiana, the U.S. Coast Guard and Chevron.
The refuge is a stop for migratory birds, and bird-deterrent devices were being used to scare birds away from the 160-square-mile (410-square-km) affected area including both marshes and offshore waters, officials said.
The leak occurred last Tuesday in the 10-inch (0.25-meter line), which sources said appeared to be a gathering line in state waters and not a major transmission line under federal jurisdiction.
A contractor crew dredging for Exxon Mobil Corp reported the leak, and officials said it appeared an anchor for the crew’s barge punctured the line.
(Reporting by Bruce Nichols; Editing by David Gregorio)
((Email: b.nichols@thomsonreuters.com; +1 713 210 8510; Reuters Messaging: bruce.nichols.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: PIPELINE LEAK
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