Cleanup efforts and shoreline assessments continue in both Orange and San Diego counties.
Crews worked throughout the weekend to remove remaining tar balls and assess beaches for further treatment. Workers removed all boom in Orange and San Diego counties with the exception of Talbert Marsh. All public beaches in Orange County and San Diego County are open.
“The amount of tar balls continue to decline and segments of beach are recommended for no further clean-up activities,” said Capt. Rebecca Ore, federal on-scene coordinator for the response.
The Oiled Wildlife Care Network, in cooperation with the UC, released 10 animals after proper cleaning and rehabilitation.
“Onshore seafood sampling has been conducted and offshore testing is expected to start on October 24. Data collected and subsequent analysis of those samples will be used to evaluate seafood safety for fisheries in the areas affected by the Southern California spill. The Director of California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife will reopen them upon recommendation by the CalEPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment,” said Lt. Christian Corbo, state on-scene coordinator for the response.
Boat decontamination sites in Huntington Beach, Long Beach and Newport Beach continue to operate.
For more information or to report located tar balls, visit www.SoCalSpillResponse.com/tarballs.
To report oiled wildlife, call 1-877-823-6926.
The investigation regarding the cause of the spill continues:
The U.S. Coast Guard issues “party in interest” designation to owner/operator of container vessel in Orange County pipeline major marine casualty investigation
U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) marine casualty investigators boarded the container ship MSC DANIT, Saturday, in the Port of Long Beach.
Prior to the visit, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Braden Rostad, Chief of Investigations, Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach determined that the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) DANIT was involved in a January 25, 2021, anchor-dragging incident during a heavy weather event that impacted the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The anchor-dragging incident occurred in close proximity to a subsea pipeline, which was subsequently discovered to be the source of the Orange County oil spill on October 2, 2021.
As a result, the Coast Guard designated the MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, S.A. (MSC), the operator of the vessel, and Dordellas Finance Corporation, the owner of the vessel, as parties in interest to the marine casualty investigation as defined by 46 United States Code (U.S.C.) § 6303 and 46 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 4.03-10.
The party in interest designations provide the owner and operator of the MSC DANIT the opportunity to be represented by counsel, to examine and cross-examine witnesses, and to call witnesses who are relevant to the investigation.
The Coast Guard marine casualty investigation into the Orange County oil pipeline major marine casualty remains ongoing. Multiple pipeline scenarios and additional vessels of interest continue to be investigated.
