Oil Pollution Control Equipment and Facilities

Abstract

Abstract Development of a pollution response capability to match offshore exploration and development often goes unnoticed until a major incident occurs. At that time one hopes that like the fire extinguisher on the wall it may be unnoticed but it is available when needed. During the 1980 Hasbah spill Aramco found that the in-house spill response capability had not kept pace with offshore development. There were more than 300 offshore production wells and five production platforms each of which had a potential for large scale oil releases. The spill response effort had been focused on terminal operations and needed upgrading to meet the needs of offshore development. Therefore a major study was initiated to determine overall spill response needs for the entire offshore activity. In order to focus the study on exploration and production needs the study team was given the following criteria to follow in developing the response needs: To accurately evaluate Aramco's current offshore spill response capabilities. Develop containment and recovery systems and also dispersant application systems capable of dealing with a spill of up to 70,000 barrels in the Gulf under favorable conditions. To recommend an organization with trained manpower to effectively handle in-house offshore spills. To provide an estimate of the costs involved in purchasing the recommended equipment.