Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Oil Spill Reaches Key West, Could Continue Up East Coast
By
Jaya Saxena
Published May 18, 2010
Modified May 18, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jaya Saxena
Published May 18, 2010
Modified May 18, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
It looks like that "Loop Current" might be working as feared, as globs of tar have started washing up on the shores of Key West, Florida. The balls, 3- to 8-inches in diameter, were found at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park beach, but the Coast Guard doesn't want to jump to conclusions just yet. Lt. jg. Anna Dixon told AOL News, "We don't even know the origin of these things. We're going to try to confirm where they came from and search for any more and commence cleanup if any more are found."
If the oil does reach the Loop Current, it could continue to travel up the east coast as far as North Carolina before heading farther into the Atlantic Ocean. But the Coast Guard is using booms and other techniques to keep that from happening (if it hasn't already). Coast Guard Rear Adm. Peter Neffenger said, "We are treating it as if it was its own coastline."
Luckily, BP's new pipe system, installed to siphon oil directly from one of the leaks, has actually been working! The Post reports that the pipe has been sucking up at least 42,000 gallons of oil a day, and depositing it onto a tanker at the surface. Unfortunately, that still leaves about 168,000 gallons a day spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. BP says it will try to cap the leak again by the end of the week, this time using heavy fluids they call "mud" to plug the hole instead of a 100-ton cofferdam.
Tagged
BP
coast guard
gulf oil spill
key west
loop current
oil
oil spill
Jaya Saxena
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 2:16 p.m. ET
NYPD arrests 17-year-old in fatal Midtown subway platform shooting
Police say the teenager faces murder and weapons charges in Saturday’s shooting of 26-year-old Bronx resident Darrel Rodriguez.
By
Charles Lane
News
NYPD arrests 17-year-old in fatal Midtown subway platform shooting
Police say the teenager faces murder and weapons charges in Saturday’s shooting of 26-year-old Bronx resident Darrel Rodriguez.
By
Charles Lane
Ex-Adams aide accused of pocketing kickbacks from community program funds
By
Samantha Max
MTA to begin 6-year project to upgrade signal tech on A and C lines in Brooklyn and Queens
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Former NYPD detective held on $1M bail after police say he shot driver on GWB
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Charles Lane
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .