REPORT DATE: 09-01-2026
REPORT TIME: 1130 UTC
REGION: GULF OF AMERICA
SUB REGION: N/A
AREA/BLOCK: GALVESTON A129
IMAGE DATE: 09-01-2026
IMAGE TIME: 0017 UTC
DATA SOURCE: SENTINEL1D 
MODE: Interferometric Wide (IW) VV
RESOLUTION: 5X20 meter
LOCATION: 28°12'06" N/94°34'20" W
AREA: 19.33 square kilometers
CONFIDENCE: Medium
REPORT MAP/GIS FILES: https://www.ospo.noaa.gov/products/ocean/marinepollution/
REMARKS: Possible oil was observed in satellite imagery. This anomaly is unconfirmed as oil. The anomaly was located approximately 66 nmi south of Galveston, TX on the boundary between the Galveston and High Island lease blocks, with a distinct dark appearance against the background and with sharp edges, unique from any other feature in the image. It consisted of two main areas, with the larger area measuring approximately 7 nmi in length in an arc and up to 1.3 nmi in width. The smaller area measured approximately 1.9 nmi in length and 0.6 nmi in width oriented N-S. Winds at the time of the image were approximately 5 knots from the NE.

UNCERTAINTIES: A point source could not be determined. Several pipelines were in the vicinity of the anomaly, and an oil facility was present to the southwest, but the anomaly was not clearly associated with any of these. Thus, confidence that this was oil was limited to medium.

If you would like to share any feedback about this report or have questions, please contact the operational analyst at (301) 683-1403 or send to oceanmap@noaa.gov. Email alerts are available only for federal and state government officials involved in response efforts. Requests to be added to the email alerts should also be sent to oceanmap@noaa.gov. Please allow up to 2 business days to process the request.

ERMA: https://erma.noaa.gov/gulfofamerica/erma.html#/layers=1+58909&x=-94.6215345&y=28.2289665&z=11&panel=layer

For further information on oil spill response and assessment go to:https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills 

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