Investigation reveals details of 2004 oil spill kept secret for decades

FOR 11 years an epic disaster has been shrouded in secrecy. Now, on a major anniversary, an investigation reveals the full extent of the catastrophe.

FILE - This Wednesday, April 21, 2010 file photo shows oil in the Gulf of Mexico, more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana's tip, as a large plume of smoke rises from fires on BP's Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

IT’S a disaster of epic proportions that has been shrouded in secrecy.

For more than a decade, an oil leak few people even knew about has been pumping the toxic substance into the Gulf of Mexico. An Associated Press investigation reveals the full extent of the disaster that occurred when a Taylor Energy company well, once operated by BP, was knocked over during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

Despite spending tens of millions to stop the leak, both Taylor and the US government have downplayed the damage. Now a US senator is pressing officials to release data about the leak saying “all necessary resources” should be committed to stop the flow of oil.

“If you’ve got an oil rig that’s been leaking for 11 years, then it’s time for us to find out what’s going on,” said Florida Senator Bill Nelson.

The Taylor revelations come on during the five-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon spill caused by an explosion at a BP well that became “more depressing as time went on" according to local man Gerald Herbert. Picture: Gerald Herbert.

Bird and marine life has been hard hit by the oil slicks, but estimates vary as to the long-term impacts. Picture: Charlie Riedel, File.

HOW DID IT HAPPEN?

The accident occurred when massive waves caused by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 generated an underwater mudslide which toppled a platform that stood around 16 kilometres off the coast of Louisiana in water 145 metres deep. The waves also buried a cluster of 28 wells under sediment.

In 2008, the US Coast Guard called the leak a “significant threat” to the environment while Florida state University Professor Ian McDonald said it was a “substantial threat” to birds, fish and other marine life.

However, nearly 11 years and 60,500 litres of oil later, the substance is still pouring out of the site and the company says nothing can be done to get to get rid of the oil sheens that cover the ocean floor where the wells are buried.

Taylor Energy said the site was destroyed by an “act of God,” but environmental groups say the company knew about risks and are furious at the lack of disclosure.

“The Taylor leak is just a great example of what I call a dirty little secret in plain sight,” said SkyTruth President John Amos, a geologist whose environmental watchdog group has monitored the slicks by satellite.

The scale of the damage was revealed after AP analysis of more than 2,300 pollution reports and satellite images which found the two didn’t match up. The investigation found a dramatic spike in the size of the oil slick since September 2014.

When presented with AP evidence of the spike, the Coast Guard revised estimates of the spill to more than 20 times what Tyalor had admitted in a February court filing.

A spokesman for the company has declined to comment on the disaster.

A slick floats on the surface in 2010 after the BP spill. Picture: Charlie Riedel.

DEEPWATER HORIZON FIVE YEARS ON

The revelation comes five years on from the horrific spill at BP’s Deepwater Horizon well that was caused by an explosion and which killed 11 workers. It also led to more than 500 million litres of oil being pumped into the ocean as it took 87 days for BP to ‘cap’ the well and stop the flow.

So far the company has paid more than $5 billion in settlements and a government investigation found the disaster was caused by a complex chain of mistakes and risky behaviour.

BP has spent billions of dollars cleaning up the spill but remained one of the busiest operators in the Gulf, meanwhile Taylor has been pushed to the point of collapse with just one employee remaining.

Both spills are evidence of how difficult it can be to stop disasters blowing out in the harsh underwater environment. However Taylor has baulked at sharing information about how to prevent such a disaster with other companies, calling it a valuable asset.

Environmental groups are furious the US government has allowed Taylor to keep information regarding the leak out of the public domain in the name of protecting trade secrets.

“It’s not normal to have a spill like this,” said Ken Arnold, an industry consultant. “The whole thing surprises me. Normally, we fix things much more quickly than this.”

Coast Guard boats respond to the Deepwater Horizon explosion which killed 11 people. Picture: US Coast Guard via AP, File.

IMPACT ON THE GULF

Scientists say the leaks have led to an 11 per cent drop in the overall health of the Gulf since the 2010 spill. The health of bottlenose dolphins, turtles, birds and fish all suffered in the wake of the disaster and large “oil mats” can be found in south Louisiana beaches.

The head of the US Geological Survey team, Marcia McNutt, said most of the oil has been evaporated, dissolved or dispersed, while other studies estimate up to 40 million litres is sitting on the sea floor — a figure disputed by BP.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Richard Spinrad said the government hopes to finish its five-year assessment on the health of the Gulf by the end of the year, so it is too early to make any real conclusions.

In previous spills some problems have taken years to show up, including the 1989’s Exxon Valdez disaster where scientists noticed a dramatic crash in the vital herring population ten years later.

It’s unclear how well the Gulf has recovered from the twin disasters. Pictured, oil coating Louisiana marshes in 2010. Picture: AP Photo/Patrick Semansky.