The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) will hold a news conference on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 to make public the final TSB investigation report (A09A0016) into the crash of a Cougar Helicopters Sikorsky S-92A off the coast of Newfoundland on March 12, 2009.
Posted in accidents | Tagged accidents, Canada, helicopter crash, Newfoundland, offshore oil, Robert Wells, safety | Leave a Comment »
A Detroit Lakes, Minn., man who fabricated a story last summer that he had invented the cap that fixed the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is facing three unrelated felony theft charges.
You may recall the parade of snake oil salesmen and other hucksters who appeared on TV during the blowout. Apparently, this guy was one of them.
In July, several local news outlets, including KARE-TV and KSTP-TV, reported that Mastin had invented the cap that eventually plugged the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But the Pioneer Press found that BP had not bought the device from Mastin.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, huckster, oil spill, well control | Leave a Comment »
Bloomberg report on East Cameron 278 “B”gas leak (90 miles offshore, 170′ water depth):
Apache workers have boarded the platform to seek to contain the source of the gas leak, the U.S. bureau said in an e-mailed statement today. The government said a remotely operated vehicle will monitor conditions to make sure work can occur safely.
The bureau said today that, in accordance with its direction, Apache is continuing preparations for drilling a relief well to stop the leak in the event the platform procedures don’t succeed.
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged Apache, blowouts, gas leak, Gulf of Mexico, offshore, well control | Leave a Comment »
1. This is a surprise. Does anyone know more about this conference?
U.S. experts will participate in a conference on oil safety in Cuba this April, Reuters reported. The conference comes as the BP disaster on the U.S. side of the Gulf of Mexico is raising concern over the start of offshore drilling in Cuban waters this year. The arrival of an exploratory drilling platform in Cuban waters that had been expected for early this year was reportedly postponed to summer.
National oil spill commission co-chairman William Reilly called on the Obama administration to think about negotiating a treaty with Mexico and possibly Cuba that would lay out uniform safety standards for offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
3. Nothing new is being reported on the blowout/uncontrolled flow/gas leak beneath the East Cameron block 278 B platform that Apache is calling a “water disturbance.” Spin doctors never sleep.
Based on the limited information that is available, well integrity issues loom large and there appear to be some disturbing similarities with the Main Pass 91 blowout in 2007.
Posted in accidents, cuba, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, Apache, blowouts, cuba, gas leak, Gulf of Mexico, National Commission, safety, well control, William Reilly | Leave a Comment »
Posted in conferences | Tagged IRF, offshore oil, safety, vancouver | Leave a Comment »
Salazar and Bromwich also announced that they are establishing a permanent advisory body through which the nation’s leading scientific, engineering, and technical experts will provide input on improving offshore drilling safety, well containment, and spill response. Secretary Salazar has asked former Sandia National Laboratory Director Tom Hunter to lead the body, which will be called the Offshore Energy Safety Advisory Committee (Safety Committee).
The new Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will be responsible for managing development of the nation’s offshore resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way. Functions will include: Leasing, Plan Administration, Environmental Studies, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Analysis, Resource Evaluation, Economic Analysis and the Renewable Energy Program.
The new Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) will enforce safety and environmental regulations. Functions will include: All field operations including Permitting and Research, Inspections, Offshore Regulatory Programs, Oil Spill Response, and newly formed Training and Environmental Compliance functions.
Posted in Offshore Energy - General, Regulation | Tagged BOEM, BOEMRE, BSEE, Department of the Interior, MMS | Leave a Comment »
Our vision on the Rigs-to-Reefs ++ page is becoming a reality (only without the rigs :)). BOE’s Cheryl Anderson sent us an update from an undisclosed location. Hmmm…..
A Florida couple is making plans to live in the first permanent undersea colony. Fox.com
This suite has been reserved for you!
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Super-geologist Paul Post is tracking Cuban and Bahamian activity and sent this map and update.
click on image to enlarge
Two thousand and eleven could be a key year for oil minnow Bahamas Petroleum Company. The AIM-quoted explorer has hired the Osprey Explorer seismic vessel, owned by Norway’s SeaBird Exploration, to shoot close-grid 2D over its four licences to the south of the Bahamas with a view to firming up a prospect for drilling in Q4. This would be the first well in Bahamian waters since 1986 and will be an acid test of BPC’s claim to be holding first mover advantage in waters that could be home to billions of barrels of oil. OilBarrel.com
Note that the area of interest is adjacent to Cuban waters, so the Cuban findings will be of great interest to the Bahamas. I don’t know if the two countries have an information sharing agreement. Perhaps the Scarabeo 9 semisubmersible will move to Bahamian waters after drilling one or more wells off Cuba.
Posted in cuba, Florida, Offshore Energy - General | Tagged Bahamas, cuba, drilling, Florida, offshore oil | Leave a Comment »
Apache said a hydrocarbon sheen was discovered in the water near its production platform in East Cameron Block 278 as the company was permanently plugging and abandoning nearby by non-producing wells. Apache said its workers saw bubbling in the water Sunday, followed by the sheen on Monday.
Posted in accidents | Tagged accidents, Gulf of Mexico, offshore oil, safety | Leave a Comment »
The International Energy Agency (IEA) said preliminary data showed oil demand hit a record high of 87.7 million barrels per day over the past 12 months.
Related Wall Street Journal story:
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Monday said demand for its oil in 2011 will be stronger than it previously forecast owing to the recovery in the global economy.
BOE Comment: The deep water sector is the only option for significant near and intermediate-term increases in US oil production. Ditto for many other non-OPEC producers. We better get our act together soon.
Posted in energy, Offshore Energy - General, oil | Tagged IEA, offshore oil, oil demand | Leave a Comment »
