Access to of Parts of Harbor Restored After Ship's Oil Leak in Port of L.A.

WILMINGTON, CA - With cleanup crews making progress on an oil spill at the Port of Los Angeles, a safety zone restricting the movements of recreational and commercial vessels was reduced in size Wednesday, restoring access to portions of the harbor that had been blocked.

The Commodore Schuyler F. Heim Bridge, which can be lifted vertically to allow ship traffic in the Cerritos Channel to pass below, had been taken out of operation following the Sunday night spill, but it resumed normal operations Wednesday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

As of Wednesday morning, there was also no visible sign of an oil sheen on the water on either side of booms that were deployed to contain the spill, officials said.

About 15,600 feet of boom were deployed around the 577-foot Panamanian- registered car-carrying ship Istra Ace Sunday “preventing further contamination of the harbor,” U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer SondraKay Kneen said.

Since the shipping company has been deemed responsible for the leak, its operators are responsible for the cleanup effort and have hired contractors to carry out the work, according to the Coast Guard.

The spill was reported at 7:25 p.m. Sunday.

During the cleanup effort, a half-dozen birds were found with oil on them and were turned over to the Oiled Wildlife Care Network for treatment.

The initial investigation aboard the Istra Ace “revealed faulty piping that may have allowed oil to leak from the starboard side of the ship,” Kneen said.

It was still unclear how much oil spilled.

— City News Service, photo credit: Nick C. Prior/Wiki Commons