U.S. Coast Guard investigating petroleum spillage

The U.S. Coast Guard was investigating a large, patchy oil sheen that appeared off the Southern California coast west of Santa Barbara on Wednesday, not far from the site of a petroleum pipeline spill in May, officials said.

The slick, spanning approximately 3 square miles of the Pacific about 1,000 yards from shore, was spotted off Goleta State Beach, but the origin of the sheen was unknown, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer Sondra-Kay Kneen.

The Coast Guard, which dispatched a marine safety crew to the scene by vessel and a surveillance team by helicopter, described the slick as a “thin layer of rainbow sheening” that was considered “non-recoverable” and was expected to dissipate from the water on its own.

In May, as much as 2,400 barrels of crude oil was spilled onto a pristine beach and into the Pacific about 25 km west of Goleta when a pipeline ruptured along the coast. There was no immediate indication the two incidents were linked.

The Coast Guard urged the public to stay away from the sheen, though no beaches were closed. County health officials said the slick posed no immediate risk to the public.

Three oil companies that own and operate offshore platforms in the area – Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp and privately owned Venoco Inc – all denied that the oil came from their operations, as did Plains All American, the company whose onshore pipeline ruptured in May.

Tar balls could be seen all along Goleta State beach in Santa Barbara Wednesday. Locals pointed to the globs and complained that they were sticking to their arms and legs.