BOEMRE Holds First Post-Macondo Unannounced Spill Drill to
Test Sub-sea Containment Response
NEW ORLEANS — The Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE)
announced today that the bureau has completed the first unannounced
spill drill to test the new requirements of sub-sea containment
capabilities for deepwater wells. Led by BOEMRE, the table-top
drill, which took place last week, was a joint exercise with the
U.S. Coast Guard, the State of Louisiana, and Petrobras America,
Inc. The preliminary results of the drill were positive; a final
evaluation will follow when analysis of all documentation is
completed.
“We are using many diverse methods,
techniques and tools to ensure that oil and gas operations on the
Outer Continental Shelf are being conducted in the safest and most
environmentally-responsible manner,” said BOEMRE Director Michael R.
Bromwich. “Testing an operator’s ability to activate its sub-sea
containment resources is one very important tool. The Spill Drill
Program can help us validate that operators are appropriate trained
in effective containment deployment. It is a natural extension of
our enhanced safety and environmental regulations and standards put
in place following the Deepwater Horizon tragedy.”
The Unannounced Spill Drill Program,
initiated by the then-Minerals Management Service in 1989, tests an
operator’s ability to notify the appropriate entities and personnel,
including federal regulatory agencies, affected state and local
agencies, internal response coordinators and response contractors.
It also tests an operator’s ability to make correct and timely
decisions, respond properly, and take appropriate action.
Last week’s drill tested Petrobras
America, Inc., with a scenario that was premised on a hypothetical
blowout experienced by one of its deepwater subsea wells. The
table-top exercise specifically tested Petrobras’ ability to assess
a subsea well control situation and mobilize the proper subsea
containment/intervention equipment in a timely manner.
The selection of an operator to
participate in an unannounced drill is based on such factors as the
number of oil producing facilities, the volume of oil production,
and proximity to sensitive areas. With an eye to the operator’s
current activities, a location is chosen and a spill scenario is
developed. Fictitious weather conditions provided to the operator
during the drill are used to produce a hypothetical trajectory of
the spill.
In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon
tragedy, BOEMRE has launched the most aggressive and comprehensive
reforms to offshore oil and gas regulation and oversight in U.S.
history. The reforms strengthen requirements for everything from
well design and workplace safety to corporate accountability. These
new safety measures include heightened drilling safety standards to
reduce the chances that a loss of well control might occur in the
first place, as well as a new focus on containment capabilities in
the event of an oil spill. For more information on new applicable
regulations and standards for both shallow and deepwater drilling
operations, go to:
http://www.boemre.gov/Reforms.htm.
For more information on BOEMRE’s
Unannounced Spill Drill Program, go to:
http://www.boemre.gov/envmonitoring/GOM/AnnualDrills.htm.
Contact: BOEMRE
Public Affairs-Gulf