Incident Disclosure 2018

Update – Spill at White Rose Field and Status of Other Offshore Facilities

November 20, 2018

Spill at White Rose Field

On November 19th, Husky deployed a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to inspect subsea flow lines. The C-NLOPB had an Environmental Conservation Officer present in the Husky Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to watch the ROV video in real time.

The ROV survey confirmed a separated subsea flow line connection at the South White Rose Extension Drill Centre as the source of the spill.

No further leakage was observed during the ROV survey. The operator’s current estimate of volume spilled remains at 250,000 litres with a more precise estimate expected as subsea inspection continues.

To date, 14 oiled seabirds have been sighted. Three have been recovered and are being transported to the Seabird Rehabilitation Centre in St. John’s. Independent observers on further PAL flights and several vessels will continue to monitor for wildlife impacts on a daily basis.

The C-NLOPB has launched its investigation into the incident. This morning, the C-NLOPB CEO and Chair met with Trevor Pritchard, Husky’s Senior Vice-President (Atlantic Region), to discuss the spill and next steps. Senior C-NLOPB officials remain in regular contact with the Husky EOC to oversee Husky’s response.

Status of Other Offshore Facilities

Both drill rigs which are in the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area, namely the Husky-operated Henry Goodrich and the Suncor-operated Transocean Barents, moved away from drill centers in advance of the storm. Both drill rigs are continuing to be assessed for storm damage and drilling operations will not resume until it is safe to do so.

The production from the Suncor-operated Terra Nova FPSO was shut down prior to the storm for repairs. While the repairs were completed prior to the storm, Terra Nova remained shut down during the storm. Production startup will not commence until inspections are complete and it is safe to resume operations.

The Hebron production platform shut down in advance of the storm due to the forecast. The Hebron operator (ExxonMobil Canada) has confirmed through inspection and analysis (and with Certifying Authority concurrence) that there were no storm impacts that affected the safe startup of the production facility. This has been confirmed by the Certifying Authority so they are proceeding with their plan to start up in a cautious manner by slowly introducing hydrocarbons to the facility. However, Hebron will need to inspect the Offshore Loading System prior to offloading petroleum from the facility.

The HMDC-operated Hibernia platform continued to operate through the storm per its Safety Plan and harsh weather protocols. On Friday morning (November 16), following discussions between C-NLOPB staff and the operator regarding the fact three lifeboats were out of service, Hibernia operations were halted.  At the earliest weather opportunity, the number of persons onboard was reduced to 175. Accordingly, production remains halted at Hibernia until the damage assessment and repairs have been completed and it is safe to resume operations.

Given the forecast of a major storm, early last week C-NLOPB Safety Officers were in contact with operators of offshore facilities to ensure that necessary storm protocols were in place and would be followed. Later in the week, the C-NLOPB’s Chief Safety Officer reminded all operators to take the time necessary to address known storm impacts while ensuring there were no surprises as operators consider getting ready to resume operations.

Since the storm, C-NLOPB officials, including the Chief Conservation Officer and Chief Safety Officer have been in daily contact with operators of offshore installations, along with independent Certifying Authorities, to ensure there is a good understanding of any storm impacts and to ensure that required inspections are complete before operations resume.

Media Contact:

C-NLOPB
Lesley Rideout
Communications Lead
c. 709-725-2900
lrideout@cnlopb.ca

November 20, 2018 (4:30 PM, St. John’s time)


Incident Disclosures 2018

DateUpdate
Dec 10, 2018Update – Status of Spill at White Rose Field
Dec 5, 2018Update – Status of Other Offshore Facilities
Dec 3, 2018Update – Spill at White Rose Field and Status of Other Offshore Facilities
Nov 29, 2018High Potential Near Miss
Nov 23, 2018Update – Spill at White Rose Field and Status of Other Offshore Facilities
Nov 22, 2018Update – Spill at White Rose Field and Status of Other Offshore Facilities
Nov 21, 2018Update – Spill at White Rose Field
Nov 20, 2018Update – Spill at White Rose Field and Status of Other Offshore Facilities
Nov 18, 2018Update – Spill in White Rose Field
Nov 16, 2018Spill in White Rose Field
Nov 16, 2018Smoke Detection
May 15, 2018C-NLOPB Issues Notice of Non-Compliance to Suncor Energy and Commences Formal Investigation
May 3, 2018Unauthorized Discharge of Synthetic Based Mud – Update
Apr 30, 2018Unauthorized Discharge of Synthetic Based Mud