Severe storm shuts down SeaRose floater offshore Newfoundland
CALGARY, Canada – Operations remain suspended at the SeaRose FPSO offshore Newfoundland. Operator Husky Energy shutdown oil production last Thursday due to extreme weather.
The following day an oil spill occurred from the White Rose field, believed to have emanated from a shut-in subsea flowline.
Husky has dispatched an ROV to inspect the flowline system and confirm the source of the leak. No further oil has since been detected at surface.
Over the weekend, overhead observation flights and sea vessel sweeps tracking the original spill indicate that the oil is dispersing. Husky is working with the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) and Canadian Coast Guard authorities to monitor the oil and its potential impact on wildlife.
A wildlife rehabilitation center has been activated, with five oiled sea birds reported.
C-NLOPB said the storm was one of the worst the region has encountered offshore since the Ocean Ranger disaster of 1982, but thankfully, no injuries had been reported.
However, the oil spill showed that the risks in offshore oil activity can never be underestimated, the board added.
Production and drilling operations will remain shut-in for the time being. Based on the flight results it appears to be a ‘batch spill’ rather than an ongoing leak.
C-NLOPB said it would carefully monitor Husky’s ongoing response, the company’s investigation report, and its Operations Authorization in light of this incident and another last year involving the near-collision of an iceberg with theSeaRoseFPSO.
It will also investigate the spill under its powers, in line with the Atlantic Accord Implementation Acts, to confirm the root cause, and will share learnings from this incident with the industry and other regulators in Canada and worldwide, through the International Regulators Forum and the International Offshore Petroleum Environmental Regulators.
Other operators in the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area have been told to shut down their facilities until C-NLOPB determines it is safe to reactivate them.
11/20/2018
