Over 20,000 gallons of crude oil have leaked into the Gulf of Mexico after an undersea pipeline was ruptured by a ship s anchor Sunday, leaving a half-mile long oil slick on the water. A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Transportation said the extent of the damage to the High Island Pipeline, which is operated by Plains All American Pipeline L.P., is still being evaluated. Investigations are still ongoing, but it appears the pipeline was struck by a tanker s anchor, the spokesman said. A 60-yard-wide oil sheen was visible on the water extending half a mile from the site of the accident, which occurred about 30 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas, a Coast Guard spokesman said. (The pipeline) is still leaking about 80 to 400 gallons per day of oil, Coast Guard spokesman Adam Wine said. The Plains company said crude oil flows through the pipeline were halted as soon as a drop in pressure was detected and that it was working with federal and state agencies to minimize the effects of the spill on the environment. The High Island Pipeline System (HIPS) connects offshore oil platforms in the High Island and East Breaks areas of the Gulf of Mexico with Texas City, Texas. The pipeline is currently able to pump 26,000 barrels per day of crude oil, according to the Department of Transportation. Oil fields operated by Apache Corporation, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and Newfield Exploration Company are among those served by the High Island Pipeline, Reuters reported. An Apache spokesman said the company had shut in about 4,000 barrels per day of oil output from fields served by the HIPS pipeline, the news agency reported.
