As BP, the National Response Team, and an army of volunteers respond to the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico, NOIA member companies are lending their resources in an unprecedented cooperative effort to stop the flow of oil and prevent further damage to the environment.
These resources include land-based and offshore facilities, aircraft, marine vessels, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), a containment dome, subsea tooling, subsea video, dispersant, personnel, and technical expertise on suction systems, blowout preventers, dispersant injection, well construction, containment options, subsea wells, environmental science, emergency response, spill assistance, well intervention, and drilling and well competence.
“We are all working together to stop the uncontrolled release of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, as we mourn the tragic loss of 11 men and pray their families find comfort,” said Randall Luthi, President of the National Ocean Industries Association. “We also thank all those who have worked, and continue to work 24 hours a day in rescue and response efforts, as well as in environmental impacts mitigation and oil spill cleanup.”
“Everyone deserves to work in a safe environment, and while there are risks associated with every industry, that risk can be significantly reduced and managed through careful consideration and evaluation,” said Luthi. “Our industry operates using incredible technology that rivals the space program. This technology and the unprecedented cooperation from NOIA member companies will be key to developing a solution that stops this accidental flow of oil into the Gulf, and helps to restore the faith of the American public in the offshore industry.”
To date, the NOIA companies below have offered and/or are providing the following assets to the response effort:
ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil has offered the use of a drilling rig as a staging base, two supply vessels, an underwater vehicle and support vessel and has provided experts to respond to BP’s request for technical advice on blowout preventers, dispersant injection, well construction and containment options. The company also continues to support the work of Tier 3 spill response and cleanup cooperatives, such as MSRC, Clean Gulf, and Oil Spill Response Ltd., to provide personnel and equipment, such as dispersants, fire boom and radios. ExxonMobil is also identifying, procuring and manufacturing additional supplies of dispersant for potential use.
Shell Oil
• 6 OSRVs – initially for fire fighting and search & rescue
• A dynamically positioned vessel with ROV
• EC135 helicopter
• ROV hot-stab panel
• Dispersant
• Containment Dome
• Technical experts in the areas of subsea wells, Environmental Science, and Emergency Response
• Robert Training and Conference Center (RTCC) in Robert, LA in full support of Unified Command including accommodations and press conferencing space.
ConocoPhillips
• Responded favorably to a request by BP to potentially access an adjacent ConocoPhillips’ lease for a relief well.
• Nominated two technical experts to participate in API's proposed joint industry government task forces
• Reviewed BP's current plans, offered ideas and technical assistance to BP
• ConocoPhillips Crisis Management Emergency Response Center is in continual communication with BP's Incident Command Center to identify potential resources needed from the ConocoPhillips Incident Management Assistant Team (IMAT).
• As a member of both the Marine Preservation Association and the Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies, ConocoPhillips is helping fund the availability of cleanup equipment and dispersants.
• Made available the use of spill response equipment, chartered helicopters, marine vessels and a pair of shore bases in Louisiana.
• Established a system for employees worldwide to make charitable contributions to non-profit agencies involved in the cleanup. Contributions will be matched by ConocoPhillips.
• Directing employees who are interested in volunteering to the central volunteer information site.
It should be noted that COP does not have any Gulf of Mexico drilling operations at this time; therefore has limited availability to boats or other equipment to offer BP to assist in the incident.
Diamond Offshore Drilling
• 1 each 7000’ hydraulic pod hose and pod reel
• 1 each BOP mandrel
• 1 each DWHC BOP connector
Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC)
• Coordinating 4 C-130 aircraft (1 MSRC, 1 Commercial, 2 Air Force) spraying dispersants, along with six smaller planes that act as spotters
• 8 Oil Spill Response Vessels (OSRVs) – each 210’ long – on site and working actively
• 2 additional OSRVs en route from Maine and New York.
• 3 ocean-barges on site to capture and store oil that is skimmed up by the OSRVs
• 6 Fast Response Vehicles – each 47’ long – on site and working the scene
• 200 MSRC staff and field personnel, along with supervising over 1000 contractors
• Numerous shall water barges that hold pontoons used for skimming and can be deployed in shallow water situations to protect the shoreline
• Over 700,000 feet of boom deployed/staged under MSRC coordination
• Several fire boom systems
Anadarko
Anadarko has 4 employees inside BP assisting their technical teams.
Statoil
StatOil has offered both spill assistance and drilling and well competence.
Tidewater
BP is using the Tidewater M/V Pat Tillman to bring dispersant chemical, tanks and assorted tools for the proposed injection plan that BP has come up with to alleviate the current spill. The vessel was dispatched directly to the location where the support vessel Skandi Neptune is standing by with coil tubing lowered to the well head to inject the dispersant directly into the leak stream. In addition, BP has chartered the Tidewater M/V War Admiral which will be outfitted with equipment used to monitor current patterns in the GOM.
Oceaneering
Oceaneering is supporting BP with people--round the clock--to work on all manner of subsea ideas. One vessel is on location with 2 ROVs and there are 2 additional ROVs on a third party vessel that BP has hired to be on location. In addition, Oceaneering has ROVs on both of the two other drilling rigs that BP/Transocean is bringing to the location. Oceaneering equipment is providing the video feed from the ocean floor.
Stone Energy
Stone Energy sent its M/V “Wisconsin” to the site the first night. It was released from service the next morning. Stone has also offered the use of its MC109 Amberjack platform as needed and stands ready to assist at any time.
Heerema
Heerema has offered to mobilize the heavy lift vessel “Balder” from Trinidad to help in any way possible.
CalDive
Cal Dive has one 100 foot utility boat offshore, with 7 men aboard assisting in the offshore spill response; they are working directly for BP. CalDive has submitted to BP and the USCG and the National Response Corporation a schedule of its entire 28 ship/barge fleet and 2000 person workforce in the Gulf of Mexico available to assist in the cleanup efforts.
Davis-Lynch Inc.
Davis-Lynch is working with BP to supply the necessary equipment for the relief well being drilled.
Taylor Energy
On Tues May 4th, Taylor Energy attended a Review of Preliminary Plans for Well Intersection and Dynamic Kill Operations on MC 252 #3 at BP’s office to provide assistance as a peer Operator. Taylor Energy has recently drilled five successful intervention wells nearby at MC20 within the last sixteen months, with a sixth intervention well currently in progress.
Teledyne RD Instruments
Teledyne RD Instruments is providing Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) to measure the speed and direction of the currents for the entire water column around the accident area.
Teledyne is also working with Horizon Marine to do vessel surveys to measure the size of the plume and help model where and when the oil slick will go.
Kiewit Offshore Services
Kiewit Offshore Services regularly makes its services available in the event of a disaster or emergency, and has done so in this case, offering to assist BP and Transocean in any way they require.
Plains Exploration & Production Company
Plains made any and all of its equipment and expertise available to BP and Transocean as it responds to the Deepwater Horizon incident.
Delmar Systems
Delmar, as a leading provider of mooring-related services, is consulting with BP regarding anchor/mooring solutions to be used in whatever solutions are finalized in a solution to contain the well flow leak and diverting oil and gas to the surface for further containment. Discussions are ongoing and Delmar is offering its full support of engineering, technical, planning and operational capability in addition to various specialty mooring equipment and hardware on a priority basis.
Bee Mar LLC
Bee Mar’s newbuild DP-2 platform supply vessel, the M/V Bee Sting, promptly answered the distress signal of the Deepwater Horizon on April 20th and joined several other vessels in performing a survivor search and rescue effort and attempting to contain the fire on the rig using its offship firefighting equipment. Bee Mar has also offered the use of its DP-2, ABS-classed Platform Supply Vessels and conventional Offshore Supply Vessels to assist in containing the oil spill. Additionally, Bee Mar is coordinating with environmental response companies and other vessel providers to develop new approaches to containing and cleaning up the spilled hydrocarbons.
Newfield Exploration
Newfield sent one of its support vessels, the Odyssea Diamond, to assist during the rig fire on April 20, 2010. The vessel was subsequently utilized to tow two damaged lifeboats to Fourchon, Louisiana. Additionally, Newfield released the Helix Q4000 semisubmersible intervention vessel to BP on April 30, requiring an early suspension of subsea well intervention operations at MC 506. The Q4000 remains on contract with BP at this time.
