Potential Oil Spill News

Increased maritime traffic as well as offshore oil and gas industries in west and central Africa means more risks of oil spill in the region, pointed out International Maritime Organization (IMO).To strengthen the capability for preparedness and response of a potential oil spill, a workshop underwent in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (18-21 March).The event aimed to help participants with to ratify and effectively implement IMO conventions relating to oil pollution and liability and compensation, said the UN Body.Participants were trained on how to best transpose IMO treaties into domestic laws. The workshop also looked at the technical context…

IHC Hydrohammer, part of IHC Merwede has developed and tested a new technology which uses seawater instead of hydraulic oil. This sustainable product development minimises potential oil spill hazards in the marine environment and presents new opportunities for deep-water offshore pile driving that will be beneficial to the future growth of offshore construction. The S-90W IHC Waterhammer has been utilised in conjunction with Swiber Offshore Construction. The installation contractor used the advanced pile-driving hammer to install four foundation piles on the subsea PLEM (pipeline end manifold) located approximately 210km off the west coast of Mumbai, India.

IHC Hydrohammer, part of IHC Merwede, successfully used seawater instead of oil as a drive mechanism for the offshore installation industry. The company has developed and tested IHC Waterhammer technology to prepare it for launch to the market. This sustainable product development minimises potential oil spill hazards in the marine environment and presents new opportunities for deep-water offshore pile driving that will be beneficial to the future growth of offshore construction. The S-90W IHC Waterhammer has been utilised in conjunction with Swiber Offshore Construction.

The Environmental Audit Committee has published the report of its inquiry into Protecting the Arctic. "The oil companies should come clean and admit that dealing with an oil spill in the icy extremes of the Arctic would be exceptionally difficult. The infrastructure to mount a big clean-up operation is simply not in place and conventional oil spill response techniques have not been proven to work in such severe conditions. Drilling is only currently feasible in the Arctic during a short summer window when it is relatively ice-free. The report also looks at the effect that climate change is having on the Arctic. It warns that a collapse in summer Arctic sea-ice…

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEM) to issue new suspensions of deepwater drilling – set to last until at least November 30, 2010 -- on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), claiming a pause is needed to ensure that oil and gas companies implement adequate safety measures to reduce the risks associated with deepwater drilling operations and are prepared for blowouts and oil spills. “More than eighty days into the BP oil spill…

In response to regulations enacted on March 1, 2010 on the Prevention and Control of Vessel-Induced Marine Environment Pollution, a Hong Kong based firm – OSRO China Ltd - has laid the foundation for a consortium of oil spill response contractors throughout China’s ports that fulfills China’s latest pollution control legislation. OSRO China was founded as a result of the Chinese Government’s recent approval of the Regulations of The People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Vessel Induced Marine Environment Pollution. Of particular concern to ship owners was the requirement for pollution control agreements to be executed with local Oil Spill Response Organizations for ships carrying hazardous substances or of greater than 10,000 Gross Tonnes (GRT).

From U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. Commander, Navy Region Southwest Asia (CNRSWA), hosted an oil spill response workshop and exercise April 3-5 at Naval Support Activity Bahrain. This exercise brought together different organizations that need to be involved in responding to a potential oil spill in the region. “The primary goal of the workshop was to educate and familiarize participants with the CNRSWA and Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet response plans and available resources that may be used,” said Awni Almasri, CNRSWA regional environmental coordinator and Navy on-scene commander for CNRSWA. Several organizations participated in the training including CNRSWA Environmental Department, U.S.