#Oil #spill containment is an ever increasing #international issue
The risk associated with offshore E&P is a major one, particularly in relation to oil spills and these risks are being managed by regulatory bodies and regional authorities. But what happens when political decisions impact on the industries ability to maintain spills and limit damage?
World Oil Online reported, several U.S. companies are asking the Obama administration for permission to respond to potential oil spills in Cuban waters, a top offshore drilling regulator said Wednesday, hoping to overcome embargo restrictions that currently limit their ability to do so.
The companies’ requests coincide with a growing concern among oil-industry experts who say the U.S embargo on Cuba could cripple the ability of spill-containment companies to respond to potential spills that start in Cuban waters but then move to U.S. shores.
Speaking at a congressional hearing on Wednesday, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Director Michael Bromwich said several companies have asked the U.S. Commerce department for licenses that would allow them to use subsea well containment systems and other types of equipment to respond to spills in Cuban waters.
Bromwich said he had “a high level of confidence” the Commerce Department would approve the licenses, in large part because it had already issued seperate approvals for oil-spill containment systems and cleanup items. U.S. government agencies “are very much on alert, looking for the licenses (applications) as they come in and my understanding is that they’re giving them rapid attention and they’re approving them as promptly as they can.” Full article is available here
As oil and gas operators and service companies continue to increase their risk management strategies and understand their full accountability there is a strong need for them to have the ability to respond to spills that may not be their direct responsibility.
World NOC Risk Congress taking place in London in June (21-22) and will run alongside the World National Oil Companies Congress. World NOC Risk will bring together chief risk officers and risk managers from NOCs to outline and discuss their risk management solutions to operational, environmental, regulatory, reputational and contractual challenges.
At this very early stage we have already confirmed the following speakers:
Petter Kapstad, Chief Risk Officer, Statoil
Ram K Goyal, Risk Management Advisor and Leader of Central Reliability Engineering Team, BAPCO
Pandele Neculae, Director Portfolio and Risk, Petrom
For more information visit the website here or contact me directly on carly.wilkinson@terrapinn.com
