No deepwater horizons in Russian arctic:
Developed by SevMash, the first Barents Sea oil rig will be a steel table the size of a football pitch and capable of withstanding temperatures of down to minus 50 Celsius. The whole point of it is that standing on the seabed, it will allow drilling and pumping the way they are done of firm land. This is a very far cry from the Deepwater Horizon. That platform was semi-submersed, positioned dynamically and designed to pump oil from beneath a mile of sea. When the oil gushed, the spill proved almost unstoppable. The Barents Sea platform will employ a very different production technology, which involves the use of powerful pumps. Chief Technology Officer of the Gazpromneft Shelf company Dr Alexander Kisser
Comment:
- Don’t demonize deepwater production to promote the arctic (or vice versa). The world needs responsible production from both.
- “Can’t happen here (or to me)” talk impresses no one. Explain how a disasters can happen to you and what you are doing to prevent them.
- Identify the special risks at your site and how they will be mitigated. Don’t tell us why the arctic isn’t the Gulf of Mexico.
- Perhaps we should present Can’t Happen Here awards as part of the Not My Job awards program.
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