Canada toughens Chevron drill rules after BP spill
Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 04:14PM Chevron must test blowout preventer, other equipment
- Audits and drill ship inspections to be more frequent
- Must get clearance before reaching target at Nfld well
CALGARY, Alberta, May 20 (Reuters) - A Canadian regulator tightened offshore drilling rules on Thursday in response to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and said Chevron Corp (CVX.N) will see new restrictions on a well it is drilling in the Orphan basin off Newfoundland.
The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board said Chevron will have to provide test results for the blowout preventer and its activation systems for the Lona O-55 exploratory well, which began drilling on May 10.
The blowout preventer for the BP Plc (BP.L) well in the Gulf failed, leading to the spill.
"In light of the situation unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico and heightened public concern over drilling operations currently under way in the Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area, the C-NLOPB has taken...measures for overseeing well operations at Chevron's Lona O-55 well," a board statement said.
Along with other measures, Chevron's drill ship will also face more frequent audits and inspections and regulators will ensure that safety systems are functioning before the drilling reaches its planned target.
The well is being drilled in water 2,600 meters deep in the Orphan Basin, about 430 kilometers (267 miles) northeast of St. John's, Newfoundland.
The BP well is under 1,500 meters of water 68 kilometers (42 miles) offshore. (Reporting by Scott Haggett
NOTICE - All Rights Reserved Except as Stipulated Below. PHOTOS MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM. Our reporters and journalists break or report stories and their sources and information are protected by the doctrine of free press as expressed in the First Ammendment, Reporters Privilege Statues, and also the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.This article if a feature or opinion piece is the opinion of the author or reports the news and opinions of others and is NOT INTENDED TO OFFER ADVICE. FOR OPINION STORIES: This story/article/ feature may be an opinion piece — and should be treated accordingly — or reporting on the opinions of others, and should never be considered as a sole source of information or as a suggestion, instruction or prescription. FOR CRIME STORIES: always read the word "allegedly" in any story mentioning "suspects" or "persons of interest". FOR BUSINESSS AND MONEY STORIES: For money/ trade and exchange stories, this magazine and its writers accept no responsibility for accuracy — always check with other sources for important decisions. FOR HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE STORIES: In the case of food/health stories, these facts have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Information stated here should be NOT be considered as medical, health, psychological or behavior advice. All information in this story and on this site is provided for educational or entertainment purposes ONLY. Always seek the advice of experts, including doctors for medical opinions. Only a licensed medical doctor can offer medical advice. FOR EXPERT, ADVICE OR HOW-TO STORIES: Legal advice or other expert advice is best referred to experts in their respective fields. NO RESPONSIBILITY: The publishers and editors, authors, researchers, employees, heirs and assigns accept no responsibility whatsoever for any advice, facts, opinions in this story, nor for resulting actions of readers of this information. ALL READERS ACCEPT THAT THIS INFORMATION IS PRESENTED ONLY AS NEWS, EDUCATION, ENTERTAINMENT OR OPINION/INFORMATION AND AGREE IN READING THIS STORY OR THIS SITE THAT USE OF THIS INFORMATION IS SOLELY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE READER. Copyright by the byline author unless otherwise indicated. EXCERPTS from other magazines or media sources are posted under fair use doctrine, on the basis of no more than 5-10% of content with links and credit to source for the complete story. These are posted in the interest of providing interesting links (description as excerpt) with navigation to the source. Likewise, we encourage our many subscribers to excerpt with credit and links to our e-zines, up to 10% of content. To use more content than 10%, please contact the e-zine for permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED except as stipulated herein. IMPORTANT: this web content also includes a forum and comments function, which allows for posting from users not employed by this publication. We accept no responsibility for posts, content, language or accuracy of posts from outside parties but will attempt to correct any inaccuracies reported within the context of free speach. Where possible, spam, lewd or obscene comments WILL BE REMOVED.
Persona Corp. and Blogertize publishes several webzines, magazines, e-zines for news, entertainment and information, but cautions readers to read the NOTICE above:
* Secure Network News Sponsored Advertisers Jameson Bank – Canada's "It's Taken Care Of" Bank Amer.com – Technology for Life
Reader Comments