US Coast Guard will be examining the Hapag Lloyd vessel ROTTERDAM EXPRESS in relation to the pipeline that was severed off near the coast of Southern California. It is being speculated that a ship’s anchor might have damaged the pipeline that led to 3,000 barrels of crude flowing into the sea near Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles on Sunday.

The speculations are fueled by the US Coast Guard’s initial investigation which revealed that a section of the pipeline was laterally displaced from its place by more than 30m. Hapag-Lloyd owned vessel, ROTTERDAM EXPRESS had anchored approximately 500m away from the pipeline when the oil spill was first detected, and later the vessel left for Oakland.

A Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson explained that as per the direction of San Pedro Traffic, ROTTERDAM EXPRESS had anchored at SF-3 anchorage on 21 September 2021. The vessel had dropped at the exact directed location and the same was confirmed by San Pedro Traffic.

 

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