After Hurricane Ida delivered catastrophic damage to Belle Chasse, Louisiana, the Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery said a sheen of unknown origin has been discovered in some areas that flooded when surging water from the hurricane broke through a makeshift levee.
Phillips 66 said that at this time, the sheen appears to be secured and contained within refinery grounds and clean-up crews are on site.
The company noted that the incident was reported to the appropriate regulatory agencies upon discovery. A full post-storm assessment remains underway at the refinery. An investigation into the cause/origin of the sheen will be conducted.
"The refinery remains shut down and timelines for operational restarts are largely dependent on assessment impacts and access to electricity and other utilities," the company said.
Meanwhile, Shell reports that it continues to actively monitor the impact of Hurricane Ida to its assets in the Gulf of Mexico and in the communities in which it operates. The company conducted a flyover of its assets that were in the path of the storm and confirmed that Mars, Olympus and Ursa are all intact and on location. The company statement said that Shell is still assessing the results of this initial flyover and a more detailed assessment of offshore assets is being planned by helicopter.
A temporary crew-change heliport will be established in the days ahead, because the primary crew-change heliport in Houma, Louisiana, sustained significant damage from the storm. Crew changes to and from assets will not occur until the temporary heliport has been established, the company said.
"Offshore assets currently online are Perdido in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico and our floating production storage and offloading vessel, the Turritella (also known as Stones). All other assets remain shut in and fully evacuated at this time," Shell said in its statement.
"As always, Shell’s top priority is the safety of our people, the environment and our assets."
