The US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has given Shell final approval to drill into deeper into hydrocarbon-bearing zones at its Burger J prospect in the Chukchi Sea, off Alaska, in the US Arctic. “After extensive review and under a robust array of safety requirements…
The Transocean Polar Pioneer semisubmersible officially began Shell’s US$1 billion Arctic drilling program in the Chukchi Sea on 30 July. The Polar Pioneer. From Transocean. Drilling operations began at Shell’s Burger J prospect…
Shell’s arrival in the Chukchi Sea came with limitations from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) that allows the supermajor to begin drilling, but not into oil-bearing zones just yet. The Noble Discoverer…
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) inspected Shell’s drilling rigs for its US$1 billion Arctic drilling program, the Noble Discoverer, Polar Pioneer and the Fennica icebreaker vessel in Alaska. Pre…
The International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), along with seven other oil and gas industry trade associations, submitted a joint letter today to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) with comments on the…
Shell is on the brink of Arctic exploration after the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s (BSEE) approval of the US supermajor’s oil spill response plan (OSRP) on 11 June. The Noble Discoverer…
A new offshore drilling safety rule proposed by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is expected to improve safety offshore in response to the Deepwater Horizon incident five years ago. The proposed rule, 30 CFR Part 250…
President Obama’s fiscal year 2016 budget request for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is US$204.7 million, providing robust support that will enable BSEE to keep pace with industry activity and the technology developments…
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) responded to an Energy XXI, GOM-operated platform that was damaged by a fire in South Timbalier (ST) Block 27 in the Gulf of Mexico. The unmanned ST 27 IA platform…
Deputy Director Margaret Schneider traveled offshore to Platform Houchin in California's Santa Barbara Channel, on 6 August, the US Bureau of Environmental Enforcement announced. The fixed production platform, operated by Pacific Operators Offshore LLC (POOLLC) is about 4mi…
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) responded to an equipment failure onboard Transocean's Deepwater Nautilus semisubmersible drilling rig in the US Gulf of Mexico, the agency reported on 10 June 2014. Operator Shell Offshore Inc…
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) director Brian Salerno outlined plans to establish a Houston-based BSEE Technology Center during a panel discussion at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston. During the…
The US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) participated in a day-long Government Initiated Unannounced Exercise on 24 April 2014, involving Occidental Petroleum Corp. (OXY). The table-top exercise exercise, held in Huntington Beach…
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement's Alaska region director Mark Fesmire participated in a panel discussion yesterday (April 17) in Washington, D.C. on applying lessons learned for drilling in the Arctic. During the discussion…
A team of US BSEE engineers and inspectors conducted a safety inspection of the first FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) vessel designed and built for containment use in the Gulf of Mexico. The pre-production inspection is…