Regulator: Expand Pipeline, Protect Killer Whales
Canada's National Energy Board (NEB) regulator recommended on Friday that Ottawa approve expansion of the government-owned Trans Mountain oil pipeline, but made new, nonbinding recommendations to mitigate harm to Pacific Ocean killer whales and the environment.The pipeline is in the national interest as it will create jobs and give Canadian oil access to more markets, the NEB said in a report. But expanding it is likely to significantly harm the killer whale population off the coast of British Columbia and increase greenhouse gas emissions from ships, the board said in its report.It made 16 new
Coast Guard Working to Contain MC20 Leak
Ivan after storm surge triggered an underwater mudslide. The platform's well conductor pipes were left buried in more than 100 feet of mud and sediment.Since the initial incident, federal officials have directed Taylor Energy to remove the platform deck, remove sub-sea debris, decommission the oil pipeline, attempt to contain the leaking oil, and plug nine of the 25 impacted wells that were deemed highest risk.Following multiple scientific studies, conducted over several years by federal and industrial experts, the FOSC issued an administrative order in October requiring Taylor Energy to propose
Norway’s Largest Oil Pipeline Now in Place
Late last week, Norway’s largest and longest pipeline reached the Johan Sverdrup field in the North Sea.The last pipe of what is now Norway’s longest and largest oil pipeline was installed by the vessel Saipem Castorone, right next to the riser platform at the Johan Sverdrup field. The 36-inch pipeline extends 283 km from the Mongstad oil terminal outside Bergen to the giant field in the North Sea.“We have together with our supplier Saipem succeeded in laying the oil pipeline to Johan Sverdrup without any serious incidents. It has been a significant operation, involving more than 600
Johan Sverdrup Drilling Platform Installed
the giant Johan Sverdrup field is thus installed.“This is an important milestone in the Johan Sverdrup installation campaign. Two of the four Johan Sverdrup platforms are now in place. The power cables to the field were rolled out last week, and so far, the installation of Norway’s biggest oil pipeline has gone very well, so this is definitely moving in the right direction,” says Trond Bokn, senior vice president for Johan Sverdrup at Equinor.“At the same time, much work remains, and we must maintain extra focus on safety and quality in the execution phase. But we can breathe a bit
Marine Hazards to Subsea Cables and Pipelines
In February 1989 the RoRo vessel Vinca Gorthon ran into heavy weather and sank off the Dutch coast. She landed on an oil pipeline that was severely damaged. Although the probability of sinking on top of a pipeline is very small, the incident showed that it can happen. Shipping traffic can represent a potential hazard to subsea pipelines in various ways, such as sinking or grounding, lost containers or an anchor hooking onto a pipeline. Over the years MARIN has contributed to the development of a method by which the burial depth of a cable or pipeline is determined on the basis of actual
Williams Names New Chair, Stands by CEO after Board Upheaval
, adding in a news release that Armstrong is the "right Chief Executive Officer for Williams." Two of the directors who stepped down filed responses of their own on Friday, with one promising to be more effective driving changes at Williams from outside the board. The U.S. oil pipeline company now finds itself with nearly half of its board wiped out, its business under pressure from depressed energy prices and without a public takeover partner for the first time since September 2015. Thursday's resignations from the company's 13-member board came a day after Energy
Petrobras: Pipeline Leaked 600 Liters of Crude, Some in Ocean
An oil pipeline along Brazil's coast near Rio de Janeiro leaked 600 liters (3.77 barrels) of oil into nearby water courses with about 50 liters leaching into the Atlantic Ocean, state-run oil company Petrobras said on Friday. Teams with vacuum equipment, floating oil barriers, absorbent materials, boats and trucks are on the scene trying to clean up the spill and prevent it from spreading, Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the company is formally known, said in a statement. (Reporting by Jeb Blount; Editing by Diane Craft)
Fugro Provides Current Measurements for Statoil
Fugro GEOS has been contracted by Statoil to provide current measurements for the construction planning of two export pipelines in the North Sea. An oil pipeline will run from the Johan Sverdrup field to the Mongstad terminal, whilst a gas export pipeline from the same field will connect to Kalstø. Seventeen current moorings will be deployed in water depths ranging from 115 to 578 metres to produce measurements for a period of 15 months together with post-service reports. The measured data will enable Statoil to consider the most appropriate engineering design for the pipeline route
Shell's Niger Delta Oil Spill Data Allegedly Manipulated
at serious risk. New analysis from an independent expert found that so-called official investigation reports into the cause of oil spills in the Niger Delta can be “very subjective, misleading and downright false.” At Amnesty International and CEHRD’s request, the independent US oil pipeline specialist Accufacts assessed a number of oil spill investigation reports, as well as responses from oil companies operating in the Niger Delta and Nigeria’s national oil spill agency. The expert found cases where the stated cause of an oil spill appears to be wrongly attributed to sabotage
February 2024
