Automatic source timelineLATimeline updated 26 Sept 2026

Main Pass 31/ near Breton Sound 48; LA

NOAA initial notification: “At approximately noon local time, the SSC was advised by USCG Sector NOLA that they received NRC report 894684 of a well leaking in Quarantine Bay, unknown color or size. A Coast Guard Falcon flew over the lat and long provided by the NRC report and reported back a 12 mile long […]”[1]

Latest included source report

Posted 16 Jan 2009

Latest source report

“On JAN 15, 2009, the USCG identified the RP and that the well had been shut- in. An overflight was conducted and no further sheening from the well is evident. No further assistance on this case is required.” Current outcome is not independently verified by seahazards.[4]

NOAA report chronology

4 dated source records · 13 Jan 2009 to 16 Jan 2009
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NOAA incident record opened

Initial notification excerpt: “At approximately noon local time, the SSC was advised by USCG Sector NOLA that they received NRC report 894684 of a well leaking in Quarantine Bay, unknown color or size. A Coast Guard Falcon flew over the lat and long provided by the NRC report and reported back a 12 mile long rainbow sheen coming from a well. The lat and long from the NRC 29 28' 56"/ 089 21' 35" puts it in the Main Pass 31 area. The Coast Guard flacon reported it at 29 28.53/089 20.54 which puts it in the approximate same location. The Falcon did not relay back a heading of the sheen, but the winds at the time were WNW at 10 mph in Boothville. Sector New Orleans will open the OSLT Fund to conduct an assessment to confirm […]”

NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track

Initial incident area only. Dates are NOAA postings, not a vessel track. Playback advances every 5 seconds.

Milestone 1 of 4: 13 Jan 2009. NOAA incident record opened. NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track

  1. NOAA incident record opened

    Initial notification excerpt: “At approximately noon local time, the SSC was advised by USCG Sector NOLA that they received NRC report 894684 of a well leaking in Quarantine Bay, unknown color or size. A Coast Guard Falcon flew over the lat and long provided by the NRC report and reported back a 12 mile long rainbow sheen coming from a well. The lat and long from the NRC 29 28' 56"/ 089 21' 35" puts it in the Main Pass 31 area. The Coast Guard flacon reported it at 29 28.53/089 20.54 which puts it in the approximate same location. The Falcon did not relay back a heading of the sheen, but the winds at the time were WNW at 10 mph in Boothville. Sector New Orleans will open the OSLT Fund to conduct an assessment to confirm […]”

    NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track (29.482°, -89.360°)

  2. Initial Trajectory

    Source report excerpt: “TIME: Tuesday, January 13, 1300 CST TO: NOAA SSC Mary Barber FROM: NOAA Office of Response and Restoration Emergency Response Division Seattle, WA 98115 SUBJECT: Sheen at Main Pass 31--near Breton Sound 48, LA For additional information, please contact Chris Barker, NOAA Emergency Response Division, Seattle, WA. Phone: (206) 526-4911. _______________________________________________________ Per your request, we have looked at trajectory implications of a sheen observed in Breton Sound, LA. An NRC report was filed at 0900 today, reporting a 12 mile long sheen, consisting of mostly rainbow with possibly some black oil. The location was given as: 29°28'56"N--089°21'35"'W. A Coast Guard Falcon […]”

  3. Update 1400 13JAN09

    Source report excerpt: “As of 1400 local time, the responsible party has not yet been identified and the USCG is headed on scene with the OSRO, ES&H. We are still awaiting photos from the USCG Falcon flight that landed @1200.”

  4. Final Report

    Source report excerpt: “On JAN 15, 2009, the USCG identified the RP and that the well had been shut- in. An overflight was conducted and no further sheening from the well is evident. No further assistance on this case is required.”

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Details in the record

Source record
NOAA IncidentNews 7949[1]
Dated source updates
3[2][3][4]

Reading this account

Automatically assembled from NOAA's incident record and substantive Public Affairs or Situation Update posts. Dates are NOAA posting dates, which can differ from when events happened or original reports were published. Excerpts retain the source's wording and uncertainty. This account does not independently establish the cause, current outcome or safety of the area. NOAA coverage is selective; missing updates do not mean nothing happened. The map shows one approximate incident area, not a vessel track.

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Original sources

Timeline updated 26 Sept 2026. New reports and changes to this NOAA incident are incorporated automatically; this is not a live incident feed.

  1. 1.Main Pass 31/ near Breton Sound 48; LA ↗NOAA Office of Response and Restoration · 13 Jan 2009
  2. 2.Initial Trajectory ↗NOAA IncidentNews · source report archive · 13 Jan 2009
  3. 3.Update 1400 13JAN09 ↗NOAA IncidentNews · source report archive · 13 Jan 2009
  4. 4.Final Report ↗NOAA IncidentNews · source report archive · 16 Jan 2009

Related records in our archive

Original source text, preserved separately from this account.

NOAAORR-7949 NOAA response record
Main Pass 31/ near Breton Sound 48; LA.
LA.
1. At approximately noon local time, the SSC was advised by USCG Sector NOLA that they received NRC report 894684 of a well leaking in Quarantine Bay, unknown color or size. A Coast Guard Falcon flew over the lat and long provided by the NRC report and reported back a 12 mile long rainbow sheen coming from a well. The lat and long from the NRC 29 28' 56"/ 089 21' 35" puts it in the Main Pass 31 area. The Coast Guard flacon reported it at 29 28.53/089 20.54 which puts it in the approximate same location. The Falcon did not relay back a heading of the sheen, but the winds at the time were WNW at 10 mph in Boothville. Sector New Orleans will open the OSLT Fund to conduct an assessment to confirm that the well is leaking, and if weather permits booming off the well and if other response resources are required.
2. THREAT: OIL. COMMODITY: LEAKING WELL.
3. POSITION 29.482N 089.360W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 7949: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/7949
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