Federal authorities boarded a second ship Thursday under investigation in the Orange County oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach, California.
The United States Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board believe a ship’s anchor hit an oil pipeline in Orange County that triggered the oil spill which leaked 126,000 gallons of crude oil into the ocean off the coasts of Orange and Los Angeles counties last month.
The second vessel, a container ship called the Beijing, was located in Long Beach in Los Angeles County and was connected to an anchor-dragging incident in the area on Jan. 25 during stormy weather. The Coast Guard said they believe this could have weakened the pipeline and led to the oil spill in October.
COAST GUARD BOARDS SHIP ‘IN INTEREST’ TO OIL SPILL INVESTIGATION
Another ship, the MSC Danit, was named earlier in connection to the spill when it allegedly dragged its anchor and hit the pipeline in a separate incident in January. Coast Guard Capt. Jason Neubauer said “both vessels could be involved” in dragging the pipeline, according to the LA Times. Other ships are also under investigation.
It is unclear when the pipeline was first hit and damaged. Investigators, however, are focusing on January because of the weather. The Coast Guard said they will bring in experts to determine how long ago the damage was done and when the pipeline began leaking.
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The FBI, as well as other federal and state agencies, is investigating whether any criminal acts occurred, including whether there was a negligent release of oil into the water, according to the Times.
The Beijing’s owner, Capetanissa of Liberia, and the operator, V-Ships Greece Ltd., have been named “parties of interest” in the investigation.
