Fifty years ago today, the first well was drilled in the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area. Tors Cove D-52 was drilled on the Grand Banks by Pan Am Imperial using the mobile offshore drilling unit, Glomar Sirte. Fifty years later, there have been over 400 wells drilled, including 222 exploration/delineation wells, 32 of which have been drilled in water depths greater than 500 metres. As I reflect on the history of well activity in our offshore area, I am particularly proud of the measures that are in place in our regulatory oversight.

Since the 2010 blowout at the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico, offshore regulators have enhanced regulatory oversight in response to the heightened awareness of offshore drilling risks. This includes additional visibility of Operator efforts in applying the lessons learned from this and other incidents around the world. Measures implemented by the C-NLOPB for deepwater and high pressure-high temperature (HPHT) wells include:

• A dedicated Special Oversight Team with heightened monitoring of the Operator’s drilling program;
• Bi-weekly oversight meetings with the Operator;
• Increased monitoring, reporting and frequency of offshore audits and inspections;
• Program change reviews; and
• Lessons learned review sessions

Special oversight initiatives were first announced by the Board in May 2010 in relation to Chevron’s Orphan Basin deepwater exploration drilling program. They are also now applied to other higher risk drilling programs such as HPHT wells, ultra deepwater wells, and harsh environment drilling where there is increased potential for a well control incident.

While the risks in offshore drilling can never be completely eliminated, the C-NLOPB will continue to expand our knowledge and expertise in offshore drilling, especially in deepwater and harsh environments.

Blog 2016