Offshore staff
HOUSTON – Talos Energy Inc. has reported its assets were not the source of an oil release in Bay Marchand block 5, offshore Port Fourchon, Louisiana, in the US Gulf of Mexico.
The company said it will continue to lead response efforts to contain and control the release.
Talos was initially notified of a release observed on Bay Marchand block 5 on Tuesday, Aug. 31, due to its status as a prior lessee of the block. It ceased production from the block in 2017.
Upon notification, the company immediately initiated its response team and vessels began to arrive on location on Wednesday, Sept. 1, to conduct oil containment and recovery operations with booms and skimmers. A lift boat equipped with a dive spread arrived on location on Saturday, Sept. 4, and divers were deployed on Sunday to investigate potential sources of the release.
The company said it conducted both physical inspections and subsea sonar scans that confirmed its assets were not the source or cause of the release.
The company has observed several non-Talos-owned subsea pipelines that were likely impacted by Hurricane Ida, including a 12-in. diameter non-Talos-owned pipeline that appears to be the source of the release. Yesterday, response personnel installed a containment dome on the affected pipe, which allows for the recovery of the release and transfer to surface vessels.
As confirmed by recent US Coast Guard (USCG) visual surveillance, surface evidence of the release has significantly diminished and there have been no observed impacts to shoreline or wildlife, according to Talos.
The company is working with the USCG and Louisiana state officials to identify the owner of the line. It is also continuing to collaborate with the USCG and other state and federal officials to receive approval to initiate permanent repair of the line. A timeline for repair operations is still being determined, Talos said.
Also, the USCG says it is prioritizing nearly 350 reported incidents for further investigation by state, local, and federal authorities in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
Yesterday, the Coast Guard reported that during a flight on Sunday it discovered a S2 Energy-operated wellhead was discharging oil about 5 mi (8 km) from the Bay Marchand site. According to the USCG, the company has secured the wellhead and it is no longer discharging oil.
The Coast Guard said S2 Energy has contracted an oil spill response organization to boom the area to mitigate the spread and collect any recoverable product. The impacted area is about 100-yards long by 100-yards wide. Estimates of release are yet to be determined.
09/07/2021
