Spills

Mississippi river delta, la

Arco Blowout; Mississippi River Delta, la · NOAAORR-6916

issued
1992-12-26 00:00Z
status
cancelled 1993-01-09 00:00Z
self-cancels
1993-01-09 00:00Z
authority
NOAA OR&R
sea
Gulf of Mexico
position
29.050, -88.967
source
incidentnews · first seen 2026-09-03 15:09Z

Original warning text

ARCO Blowout; Mississippi River Delta, LA.
Mississippi River Delta, LA.
1. At 0823, December 26, 1992, an ARCO oil rig blew out a mixture of South Louisiana crude oil, hydrogen sulfide, and natural gas at South Pass, Block 60, Mississippi River Delta, LA. The blowout was reported to the USCG office by an ARCO employee. At 0900 a USCG overflight located the rig and reported that the release of natural gas, hydrogen sulfide, and a condensate of crude oil was ongoing and a boat on the upwind side of the rig was applying water to the diverter to cool it down. ARCO personnel on a rig less than one mile northeast of the blowout were prepared to evacuate in case of a wind shift. The slick tended to the southwest (approximately 220?). It was reported to be one to one and a half mile long and two to three hundred yards wide consisting mostly of a condensate. Rainbow and lighter sheen extended from one and a half to nine and a half miles from the rig. The smell of [...]
2. COMMODITY: NATURAL GAS, HYDROGEN SULFIDE, AND CONDENSATE.
3. POSITION 29.050N 088.967W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 6916: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/6916

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