BRAZIL: Oil industry cooperative Oil Spill Response Ltd. inaugurates new base while unveiling new offshore well capping device

Record ID: 344434

  • Title: BRAZIL: Oil industry cooperative Oil Spill Response Ltd. inaugurates new base while unveiling new offshore well capping device
  • Date: 14th March 2014
  • Summary: ANGRA DOS REIS, BRAZIL (MARCH 13, 2014) (REUTERS) GENERAL OF WELL CAPPING DEVICE VARIOUS CLOSE-UPS OF DEVICE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LOOKING AT AND DISCUSSING THE DEVICE CAMERAMAN FILMING VARIOUS OF ORLS CEO, ROBERT LIMB, SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) OSRL CEO, ROBERT LIMB, SAYING: "I think the incident that is in everybody's minds is the Macondo incident in the Gulf of Mexico which obviously took quite some time to cap. In the end they used a similar kind of device as this but basically had to make that on the fly really, while the incident was occurring." VARIOUS CLOSE-UPS OF THE DEVICE OSRL CHAIRMAN, JON LAY, WALKING WITH ROBERT LIMB (SOUNDBITE) (English) OSRL CHAIRMAN, JON LAY, SAYING: "You know the industry recognized that there was a gap in the tool kit after Macondo, and so nine organizations basically got together and you know started a project." BRAZIL'S NATIONAL PETROLEUM AGENCY PRESIDENT, MAGDA CHAMBRIARD, SHAKES HANDS WITH LIMB CHAMBRIARD AND LIMB POSE FOR PHOTO (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZIL'S NATIONAL PETROLEUM AGENCY PRESIDENT, MAGDA CHAMBRIARD, SAYING: "The equipped and running pre-salt basis can today produce around 30,000 barrels of oil per day. You will see what an unwanted 'blow out' is and what happens and what [damage] it can cause. So equipment like this, available, brings to us a potential containment benefit with a value you cannot estimate." GENERAL OF DEVICE
  • Embargoed: 29th March 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Industry,Energy
  • Reuters ID: LVAD1EVT5EINK4EBMBO3ZQ0M3QPE
  • Story Text: The oil industry unveiled a capping device on Thursday (March 13) in Brazil that should help to limit the potential catastrophic effects that can occur when an offshore well blows out.
    Oil Spill Response Limited, known as OSRL, presented the new equipment at the inauguration of their new base in Angra dos Reis, Brazil.
    The OSRL group is a cooperative of over 160 energy-related companies including big oil majors.
    Offshore oil drilling safety has been of tremendous public concern since BP Plc's 2010 Macondo oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico fouled the basin and stopped drilling for months.
    OSRL will house what they are calling a cutting-edging device capable of shutting in and controlling volatile subsea wells at the new Brazilian base.
    OSRL Chief Executive Officer, Robert Limb said that the new device is essentially what had to be created to stop the Macondo crisis.

    "I think the incident that is in everybody's minds is the Macondo incident in the Gulf of Mexico which obviously took quite some time to cap. In the end they used a similar kind of device as this but basically had to make that on the fly really, while the incident was occurring," Limb said.
    Chairman of OSRL, Jon Lay said that the device fills a need that the industry realized too late that it lacked.

    "You know the industry recognized that there was a gap in the tool kit after Macondo, and so nine organizations basically got together and you know started a project," Lay said.
    Subscribing oil and gas companies will be able to call on OSRL's device in the case of a subsea blowout. It can be readily used on the majority of active subsea wells and up to depths of 3,000 meters.
    Magda Chambriad, president of Brazil's National Petroleum Agency, known as the ANP, was on hand at the base's inauguration and unveiling of the capping device.
    She said that having the device available will be invaluable.

    "The equipped and running pre-salt basis can today produce around 30,000 barrels of oil per day. You will see what an unwanted 'blow out' is and what happens and what [damage] it can cause. So equipment like this, available, brings to us a potential containment benefit with a value you cannot estimate," Chambriad said.
    The capping device is part of a package of service that OSRL provides to subscribers which also includes tools for clearing debris in addition to the capping equipment.
    With bases as well in Norway, Singapore and South Africa OSRL now believes it has the means with the Brazil base to respond to any crisis in the world.
    The device could prove to be very useful in the region as Brazil slowly begins to tap more of its vast and still undeveloped offshore reserves.
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