BSEE Tests Operator's Ability to Respond with Unannounced Oil Spill Drill in the Gulf of Mexico

February 7, 2013- The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s (BSEE) Oil Spill Response Division initiated an unannounced oil spill response exercise yesterday to test oil and gas operator W&T Offshore’s ability to deploy equipment such as their 95-foot fast response vessel Breton Island, establish communications and respond to an oil spill. During the exercise BSEE supervised the operation of the Incident Command Post in Slidell, La., and observed the deployment of spill response equipment.

As part of each operator's contract to drill or produce oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico, each operator must prove they can respond to an accident and is required to submit an oil spill response plan. BSEE staff review the plans and conduct inspections of the operators spill response equipment. As part of the agency’s commitment to safety and the environment, BSEE requires that equipment and systems be tested and maintained on a recurring basis.

Two members of the BSEE oil response team were aboard the 95ft fast response vessel Breton Island as side mounted skimmers were lowered by Clean Gulf Associates into Louisiana’s Harvey Canal for testing.