Oil Spill News


Wood Group PSN slapped with US$9.5 million in fines

Feb 24, 2017

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged Wood Group PSN with criminal conduct, ordering the company to pay US$9.5 million in fines for two separate incidents in the Gulf of Mexico, one of which led to three fatalities in 2012, leaving those involved to face manslaughter charges…

Oil spill off Louisiana

Aug 03, 2016

An oil spill with an estimated maximum potential of 4200 gallons of crude oil occurred yesterday (2 August) from a well owned by Houston-based Texas Petroleum Investment Co. (TPIC), near Main Pass offshore Louisiana, according to the US Coast Guard (USCG)…

Shell, USCG end oil skimming ops at Glider

May 17, 2016

Supermajor Shell and the US Coast Guard (USCG) concluded skimming operations in their joint response to the discharge of 2100 bbl (88,200 gallons) of crude oil at the Glider field in the Gulf of Mexico, the pair said late on 16 May. The joint response mobilized more than 150 people…

Brutus back online as Shell repairs Glider

May 16, 2016

Shell announced on 15 May that production from the Brutus field in the US Gulf of Mexico has resumed following a leak at the nearby Glider field on May 12, which shut-in all production to the associated tension leg platform.  While production…

BSEE forms panel to investigate Shell leak

May 16, 2016

The US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is continuing its investigation of the oil release from Shell's Glider field on May 12. The Glider field, approximately 97mi south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, includes subsea wells…

BSEE in Arctic spill response database update

Feb 19, 2016

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) staff recently participated in the Alaska Regional Response Team (RRT) meeting to update attendees on BSEE’s Arctic spill response database project. Image from BSEE…

Oil firms still eyeing arctic exploration

Jan 28, 2016

Despite a multibillion dollar backlog of projects, put on hold amid US$30-50/bbl oil prices, exploration firms are still eyeing resources in arctic waters. New areas of the Barents Sea were offered to oil firms in Norway’s 23rd licensing round…

Anadarko hit with US$159.5 million Macondo fine

Dec 01, 2015

The Louisiana US District Court ruled for Anadarko Petroleum to pay a US$159.5 million penalty for its role in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster that spilled 3.19 MMbbl into the Gulf of Mexico, and left 11 people dead. Transocean's…

Black Elk, WGPSN charged in deadly 2012 rig explosion

Nov 20, 2015

Several companies and individuals, including Black Elk Energy Offshore and Wood Group PSN (WGPSN), are being charged with crimes for the fatal November 2012 explosion of the West 32-E platform in the Gulf of Mexico that left three contract workers dead…

Statoil reports Statfjord oil spill

Oct 08, 2015

Statoil reported that oil had been observed near the OLS B loading bouy at the Statfjord filed, offshore Norway, in the early morning hours of 8 October. Production at Statfjord A is said to be operating normally. Statfjord field…

Oil spill recovery system sets record

Aug 14, 2015

Norwegian offshore player Egersund Group recently set a new oil spill recovery record when its newly developed Marine Oil Spill (MOS) Sweeper system managed to recover 96.4% of oil released in a North Sea exercise.     Image…

Petition called to inspect California offshore pipelines

Aug 10, 2015

The Center for Biological Diversity formally and legally petitioned the US federal government to inspect all of California’s offshore pipelines for corrosion and other damages. Image from APPEA…

Elastec offers offshore oil spill recovery system

Jun 25, 2015

Elastec introduced a new product for offshore and nearshore oil spill cleanup. The X150 Skimmer Launching System is an oil spill response system with the capability to recover light, medium and some heavy oils in incidents. Elastec’s…

NASA tech used in oil spill drill

Jun 22, 2015

US space agency NASA deployed for the first time oil spill detection technology in Norway's annual oil spill cleanup exercise in the North Sea, June 8-11. Scientists flew a NASA airborne instrument, called the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR)…

Deepwater Horizon settlements reached

May 21, 2015

Both Halliburton and Transocean have reached settlement agreements with BP over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon incident occured on 20 April 2010, spilling millions of barrels of oil into…

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