VENTURA : Inspection Delays L.A.-Bound Tanker

Chevron’s first tanker to take crude oil from offshore oil fields north of Santa Barbara to refineries in Los Angeles was delayed by nine hours Tuesday when government authorities boarded the vessel on an inspection tour.

The Chevron Oregon finally got underway at 12:10 p.m. Tuesday and passed by Ventura County’s coastline later in the afternoon and early evening, officials said. The tanker carried 10.5 million gallons of crude and was expected to reach Los Angeles Harbor late Tuesday night.

“It wasn’t expected,” Chevron spokesman G. Michael Marcy said of the delay.

Marcy said representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard and six county and state agencies showed up for inspections. Other agencies included the California Lands Commission and the Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Services.

The inspectors found nothing amiss, according to several of them.

The Oregon was seen navigating Ventura County waters near Anacapa Island about 6 p.m., said Bruce Carter, an emergency planner with the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services. Carter was one of several officials who boarded the Oregon while it was being loaded.

Other than the nine-hour delay, Marcy said there were no problems with the first shipment from the Gaviota Marine Terminal that collects oil from the massive oil fields off the coast of Point Arguello. Chevron and its oil partners have spent years developing the facilities.

“Things went about as smooth as you could expect for the first mooring and loading in eight years,” Marcy said.

Among the concerns of authorities, Carter said, were making sure that the tanker could be towed in case of an emergency and that weather conditions were fit for the vessel to travel with 250,000 barrels of crude.

“I’m hoping the crew isn’t disturbed by the delay,” Carter said.