Oil from the Gulf spill appeared to be lapping the shores of a pristine wildlife refuge of Louisiana's eastern coast Tuesday, as BP sent a 22-strong flotilla in response.
Brown streaks of the slick and large areas of sheen could be seen around the remote Chandeleur Islands, said AFP journalists who overflew the area.
British Petroleum's Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles earlier told reporters that the firm had launched 22 vessels -- 12 shrimp boats and 10 official response vessels -- trying to find any instances of the spill hitting land.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Boats 'not locating oil'
By the most recent account, the boats "had not actually located any of the oil coming ashore at that time," Suttles said.
However from the air, the reddish orange sheen of the slick was broken up into either side of the Chandeleur Islands, a chain of uninhabited islets some 90 kilometres east of New Orleans that is a prime marsh and wildlife area, and appeared to be lapping the shore.
The boat fleet was working on the slick apparently dropping dispersant into the oil streaks, skimming the water's surface and placing booms to protect the islands.
Suttles said BP's trajectory maps for the slick did not forecast its hitting land for the next three days.
On Sunday the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather agency warned the islands would be hit by the massive slick that has been seeping out of three openings at the wellhead below the Deepwater Horizon rig, which sank on April 22.
Catastrophe 'can not be capped'
An estimated 210,000 gallons of crude a day has been leaking from the wellhead since then, threatening the US Gulf Coast with environmental catastrophe if it cannot be capped.
NOAA forecasts had also warned Monday and Tuesday that landfall was a matter of when and not if, with winds continuing to push oil towards the shoreline along the Mississippi River Delta, Breton Island and the Chandeleurs.
The Chandeleur Islands form the easternmost point of Louisiana and are part of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge -- the second oldest refuge in the United States and home to countless endangered brown pelican, least tern and piping plover shorebirds.
