GULF OF MEXICO – It’s called a rainbow sheen.
It has nothing to do with Rainbow Brite, of course, and should never be confused with either Martin Sheen or Charlie Sheen.
This rainbow sheen is the result of a natural gas leak in the Gulf of Mexico, about 74 miles southwest of Port Fourchon at a well site owned by Talos Energy of Houston.
Talos was in the process of plugging and permanently abandoning the well when the accident occurred about 130 feet below the surface.
Talos says all five workers got off the platform safely.
The U.S. Coast Guard flew over the site and a rainbow sheen four miles wide and three-quarters of a mile long on the surface of the water.
In a statement on its web site, Talos says about 250 gallons of light crude oil leaked out, and that they expect it to evaporate quickly.
Even so, environmentalists say any oil spill can damage fish that swim into it.
