Tag: Shell

 Coast Guard shifts vessel from fighting cocaine smuggling to keeping watch on Arctic Oil Drilling, Allgov.com reportsThe Obama’s administration decision to allow Royal Dutch Shell to conduct oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean has forced the U.S. Coast Guard to divert ships to the region, including one that had been deployed to catch drug smugglers in the Caribbean.To protect both the environment and Shell’s drilling crews working in the dangerous Chukchi Sea, the Coast Guard has had to deploy five ships to the Arctic. Among the ships is the Waesche, which normally patrols the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico looking for drug traffickers.According to Reuters, the Coast Guard was forced to make these moves in order for Shell, which is conducting exploratory oil drilling, to meet “its environmental and safety commitments'' .Admiral Paul Zukunft, commandant of the Coast Guard, told Reuters the ship deployments represented an “opportunity cost” for his agency. “It means you do less somewhere else in order to supplement activity in the Arctic,” he said. Also read the following related articlesReuters - U.S. Coast Guard Sees Added Burden in Shell’s Arctic QuestAllgov.com - Obama Gives Go-Ahead to Arctic Oil Drilling In the starting, I was forthright with you propecia before and after ...

 After extensive review and under a robust array of safety requirements, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director Brian Salerno announced that Shell has received approval of one Application for Permit to Modify (APM) to conduct exploratory drilling activities into potential oil-bearing zones offshore Alaska at one of the wells at the Burger Prospect, Burger J.  The company remains limited to the top section of the Burger V well.Shell submitted an APM on August 6 to modify the Burger J Application for Permit to Drill (APD), which previously restricted Shell from drilling into oil-bearing zones since a capping stack was not on hand and deployable within 24 hours, as required by BSEE.  A capping stack is a critical piece of emergency response equipment designed to shut in a well in the unlikely event of a loss of well control.  The capping stack, staged on the vessel M/V Fennica, is now in the region and capable of being deployed within 24 hours.“Activities conducted offshore Alaska are being held to the highest safety, environmental protection, and emergency response standards,” said Salerno. “Now that the required well control system is in place and can be deployed, Shell will be allowed to explore ...

  Two Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) inspectors are overseeing Shell drilling operations 24/7 in the Chukchi Sea to ensure compliance with federal regulations and safety standards. BSEE inspectors boarded the semi-submersible drilling unit Transocean Polar Pioneer and the drillship M/V Noble Discoverer last week as part of the bureau’s commitment to safe and responsible offshore energy exploration and development.  During permitted operations, BSEE inspectors provide continuous presence while overseeing and monitoring drilling activities. A BSEE inspector was on board the Polar Pioneer before it began drilling a pilot hole at Burger J July 30 and a second BSEE inspector is on board the Noble Discoverer at Burger V, even though Shell is prohibited from simultaneous drilling at the two approved locations. In accordance with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Letter of Authorization (LOA) issued June 30, Shell must maintain a minimum spacing of 15 miles between rigs during simultaneous drilling to minimize the potential for impacts on walruses in the region. Burger J and Burger V are approximately nine miles apart. BSEE inspector’s presence on both drilling units ensures federal oversight of conditions set forth in Shell’s Applications for Permit to Drill (APD) approved by BSEE July 22. ...

  After extensive review and under a robust array of safety requirements, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director Brian Salerno announced that Shell has received conditional approval of two Applications for Permits to Drill (APD) to conduct limited exploratory drilling activities in the Chukchi Sea offshore Alaska. Specifically, the APDs limit Shell to drilling only the top sections of wells and prohibit Shell from drilling into oil-bearing zones. Shell currently is not permitted to drill into oil-bearing zones because, to do so, BSEE requires that a capping stack be on hand and deployable within 24 hours. A capping stack is a critical piece of emergency response equipment designed to shut in a well in the unlikely event of a loss of well control. Shell’s capping stack is staged on the vessel M/V Fennica, which is currently en route to Portland, Oregon, for repairs. If and when the M/V Fennica is capable of being deployed in the Chukchi Sea and Shell is able to satisfy the capping stack requirement, the company may submit an Application for Permit to Modify the APDs and request to have this restriction reconsidered. “Without question, activities conducted offshore Alaska must be held to the ...

  Two Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) personnel conducted inspections of Shell Oil Co. marine vessels Noble Discoverer and the semi-submersible drilling unit Transocean Polar Pioneer in Dutch Harbor, Alaska July 7-12. While onboard the vessels, BSEE inspectors reviewed drilling equipment, assessed overall readiness, and tested key safety devices. They also verified BOEM lease stipulations, environmental mitigation measures, and air quality equipment, as well as Environmental Protection Agency National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requirements. Additionally, BSEE Alaska Region Director Mark Fesmire conducted a re-inspection of the capping stack onboard the ice management vessel Fennica, which was damaged July 3 while departing Dutch Harbor. The Fennica currently carries the capping stack, which is a key piece of well control equipment used to contain the flow of oil in the unlikely event of a blowout, should all primary and backup blowout prevention equipment fail. Although the Fennica’s damage requires that it be returned to dry-dock for repairs in Portland, Ore., BSEE personnel verified the capping stack was not damaged during the incident. These inspections are part of BSEE’s commitment to safe and responsible offshore energy exploration and development. If drilling operations are permitted and begin, BSEE inspectors will be ...

  Technip Samsung Consortium was awarded two contracts by Shell for the Browse floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project in Australia, operated by Woodside. The Browse project covers the realization and installation of three FLNG units to develop the Brecknock, Calliance and Torosa fields in the Browse Basin, 425 kilometers North of Broome, Western Australia. The Browse project will capitalize on Shell's FLNG experience, as well as on Woodside's offshore and subsea development expertise. The first contract awarded to the Technip Samsung Consortium covers the front-end engineering design (FEED) elements of the Browse FLNG project, taking into account the composition of the gas, local weather conditions and factors specific to each of the three fields. This contract was immediately novated by Shell to Woodside as operator. The second contract covers the engineering, procurement, construction and installationof the three FLNG units of the Browse project. This contract is subject to the final investment decision from the client at the end of the FEED. The Browse project will benefit from insights brought together by both Shell and Technip Samsung Consortium from the design and construction of Shell’s Prelude FLNG facility and aims at maximizing the replication of Prelude FLNG for the three ...

   Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director Brian Salerno announced that BSEE Alaska Region Director Mark Fesmire this week oversaw testing of Shell’s proposed Arctic-ready capping stack system in Puget Sound to ensure compliance with stringent Federal safety standards for oil and gas exploration on the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf. A key piece of Arctic oil exploration containment equipment, the capping stack is used to contain the flow of oil in the unlikely event all primary and backup blowout prevention equipment fails during drilling. It is required to be in position for all of Shell’s potential drilling activities in the Arctic. During tests this week, BSEE personnel witnessed the deployment and maneuvering of the capping stack off the rear deck of the M/V Fennica to 150 feet of water, which is deeper than Shell’s current well sites in the Chukchi Sea. BSEE confirmed that the capping stack functioned properly under pressures exceeding the maximum expected pressures Shell may encounter in the Arctic. Deployment of the capping stack and stack pressure testing were completed in two separate exercises spanning two days. BSEE is currently reviewing Shell’s request to drill two exploratory wells in the Chukchi Sea this summer. If ...