BLACK SHEEN

Photos Appear to Show Huge Oil Slick After Hurricane Ida Hammered Gulf of Mexico

The miles-long slick is situated near a Gulf rig that was in the path of the hurricane.

The chaos of Hurricane Ida appears to have left behind a huge oil slick near an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The Associated Press obtained multiple photographs showing a miles-long black sheen in the water three days after Ida barreled through the region on its way to Louisiana. The slick is near a large rig which has “Enterprise Offshore Drilling” painted on its helipad, but the company didn’t respond to AP’s enquiries. The photos also showed apparent severe flooding at the Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery where the water has also taken on the telltale sheen. Phillips 66 spokesman Bernardo Fallas told AP: “At this time, the sheen appears to be secured and contained within refinery grounds... Clean-up crews are on site. The incident was reported to the appropriate regulatory agencies upon discovery.” Jennah Durant, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency, said they had received no reports of significant spills.