Alaska officials said Friday that up to 267,000 gallons of crude oil poured out of a pipeline at the Prudhoe Bay field, making it the largest oil spill ever recorded on the state's North Slope.

    The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation estimated that a minimum of 201,000 gallons spilled at Prudhoe Bay, the largest U.S. oil field.

    The spilled oil spread over 1.9 acres of snow-covered tundra and the environmental impact remains unknown, according to Leslie Pearson, on-scene coordinator for the Department of Environmental Conservation.

    The spill was discovered March 2 on the west side of Prudhoe Bay by a worker for field operator BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.

    Officials expect the cleanup to take four to six weeks. So far, 52,920 gallons of oil had been recovered, according to a news release issued by the state, federal and BP's joint emergency response team.

    "Although it is a significant spill and it is a large volume, the footprint, being just under two acres, is small," said Pearson.

    美国阿拉斯加政府10日透露，近日在该州北部普拉德霍海湾地区发生一起重大石油泄漏事故，约有26.7万加仑（共6357桶）原油从输油管中泄漏并污染了附近约2英亩的苔原地带，是该州北部海湾最严重的一次石油泄漏事故。

    据路透社3月10日报道，阿拉斯加环境保护部门表示，这次事故中泄漏的原油最低估计也有20.1万加仑（4785桶）。该部门事故现场协调员莱丝莉·皮尔森说，泄漏的石油污染了1.9英亩白雪皑皑的苔原地带，对环境造成的影响尚不得而知。

    石油泄漏事故是由英国石油公司阿拉斯加分公司的一名工人，于3月2日在普拉德霍海湾西部发现的。官方估计清理这些泄漏的石油需要4到6个星期。截至目前，已有5.3万加仑（1260桶）的石油重新装桶。

    皮尔森说：“虽然这是一次很严重的泄漏事故，而且石油泄漏数量也相当大，但所幸造成的污染面积只有不到2英亩。”阿拉斯加最大的同时也是美国历史上最大的一次石油泄漏事故，是发生在1989年的埃克森公司瓦尔迪兹油轮泄漏事故，共有1100万加仑石油泄漏，污染了1300英里的海岸线，其中包括恰加国家森林和3个国家公园的部分地区。