The Associated Press reports:
Investigators believe a 1,200-foot (366-meter) cargo ship dragging anchor in rough seas caught an underwater oil pipeline and pulled it across the seafloor, months before a leak from the line fouled the Southern California coastline with crude.
A team of federal investigators trying to chase down the cause of the spill boarded the Panama-registered MSC DANIT just hours after the massive ship arrived this weekend off the Port of Long Beach, the same area where the leak was discovered in early October.
During a prior visit by the ship during a heavy storm in January, investigators believe its anchor dragged for an unknown distance before striking the 16-inch (40-centimeter) steel pipe, Coast Guard Lt. j.g. SondraKay Kneen said Sunday.
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Investigators believe an oil pipeline off Southern California that leaked earlier this month was pulled across the seafloor by a cargo ship dragging its anchor in rough seas in January. It’s unclear whether the impact caused the leak, the Coast Guard says. https://t.co/UWiwreIKox
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 17, 2021