Oil giant BP says that it is investigating a new sheen in the Gulf of Mexico but there was no immediate indication it was the result of a new oil spill.



A catastrophic April 2010 explosion at BP's Macondo well in the Gulf killed 11 men and led to the worst offshore oil spill in US history.



A sheen is a shiny coating that floats on the surface of the water, and could come from leaked or spilled oil. BP did not make clear what the source of the sheen was, but told The Associated Press it was not found near "any existing BP operations."



The company said in a statement the sheen was found near two abandoned exploration well sites in the Gulf and it had sent a "remote-operated vehicle" to examine the underwater wells.



London-based BP spokeswoman Sheila Williams said "there is a lot of sheen in the Gulf of Mexico area" and that the substance did not necessarily come from a BP site.