AP: Offshore wells buried during Hurricane Ivan have been leaking oil into the Gulf since 2004

Fuel Fix ^ | April 16, 2015 | Associated Press

[thackney]

Full title: AP: Offshore wells buried during Hurricane Ivan have been leaking oil into the Gulf since 2004

Down to just one full-time employee, Taylor Energy Company exists for only one reason: to fight an oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico that has gone largely unnoticed, despite creating miles-long slicks for more than a decade.

The New Orleans-based company has downplayed the leak’s environmental impact, likening it to scores of minor spills and natural seeps that the Gulf routinely absorbs.

But an Associated Press investigation has revealed evidence that the spill is far worse than what Taylor — or the government — has publicly reported. Presented with AP’s findings, the Coast Guard provided a new leak estimate that is about 20 times greater than one recently touted by the company.

[thackney]

excerpted for AP

[Star Traveler]

Now, if the Gulf of Mexico would just turn into a big oil bath-tub, we would have it made! ... :-) ...

[Resolute Conservative]

Oil seeps from the ocean floor all the time. Nature has a way to fix it itself.

[elpadre]

it is not unusual to have oil seeping from the ocean floor. The oceans have a way of accommodating such.

[thackney]

Yep.

Natural Oil Seeps
http://www.whoi.edu/oil/natural-oil-seeps

As much as one half of the oil that enters the coastal environment comes from natural seeps of oil and natural gas. These geologic features are known to occur in clusters around the world, such as off the southern coast of California and in the Gulf of Mexico, but are still relatively unstudied. In recent years, advances in remote sensing have enabled more accurate detection and estimates of natural oil flows in the ocean.

In locations where seeps are found, oil flows slowly up through networks of cracks, forming springs of hydrocarbons similar to the La Brae tar pits on land. Lighter compounds rise buoyantly to the water’s surface and evaporate or become entrained in ocean currents; others fall to the seafloor and collect over hundreds or thousands of years.

[JohnBrowdie]

didn’t heal the planet. just sayin’

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

In locations where seeps are found, oil flows slowly up through networks of cracks, forming springs of hydrocarbons similar to the La Brae tar pits on land.

The first producing oil well in North America was located next to a creek with headwaters marked by a petroleum seep. It was near Titusville Pennsylvania.

Regards,
GtG

[minnesota_bound]

FTA: 16,000 gallons of oil have been spotted in slicks over the past seven months.

That is less then half of one tanker you see at a gas station.

[thackney]

FTA: 16,000 gallons of oil have been spotted in slicks over the past seven months. That is less then half of one tanker you see at a gas station.

I was on the design team for a couple gasoline/diesel truck loading stations years ago. Most 18 wheeler type tanker trailers are 9~12,000 gallons. Sometimes up to 14,000 gallons. You will have to show me one that is over 32,000 gallons.

Here is a link to several for sale.

http://www.truckpaper.com/list/list.aspx?catid=64&Manu=HEIL&bcatid=28

[minnesota_bound]

Many images of the trucks.
http://tinyurl.com/o9xncxa

How much fuel does a tanker truck hold?
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080701213522AAj6ZCx

FTA: A regular semi-trailer with two axles under the rear and it hooks to a regular 3 axle road tractor usually has a 9500 gallon capacity, but can only legally haul about 8500 gallons due to weight laws.

In some western states, you will see trucks that have a tank on the truck and pull a long 4 axle trailer behind that. These truck/trailer combinations have the capacity of 11,500 gallons and can weigh as much as 105,000 pounds when fully loaded.

Fuel tankers have compartments in them so that they can carry different products at the same time. Think about how a gas station is laid out. They usually have Unleaded Regular, Unleaded Premium as a minimum of products and may have a middle grade Unleaded fuel as well as Diesel. The tanker may have as many as 6-7 compartments, or separate “tanks” within the tanker truck itself. Each compartment can hold between 500 - 2500 gallons. This is so when a gas station orders a fuel delivery, it gets as much product of each as the storage tanks will allow, there by getting the best utilization of the truck as possible. Depending on how far the fuel has to be transported determines how much it costs to ship it. It will cost the same if it has 1000 gallons or 11,500 gallons, so they try to ship a full load whenever possible.

[thackney]

??

So we agree 16,000 is far more than half a tanker?

[minnesota_bound]

Unless it is a tandem tanker : )