Sunday 14 August 2011
US oil firm admits spill was bigger than it said
The American operator of troubled oil platforms in Bohai Bay has admitted that the total amount of oil that leaked around its rigs was more than double its original estimates, amid mounting criticism from marine authorities that the company has yet to offer a permanent solution to the problem.
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US oil firm admits spill was bigger than it said
Stephen Chen
13 August 2011
The American operator of troubled oil platforms in Bohai Bay has admitted that the total amount of oil that leaked around its rigs was more than double its original estimates, amid mounting criticism from marine authorities that the company has yet to offer a permanent solution to the problem.
An official of the State Oceanic Administration’s North China Sea branch, which oversaw the clean-up, told Xinhua that government experts had found a considerable amount of oily mud near platform B at Penglai 193, the mainland’s biggest offshore oil field in production, shut down last month after two oil spills in June covering more than 4,200 square kilometres.
The experts suspect the contamination resulted from an unknown leak, rather than the one confirmed and contained by operator ConocoPhillips China (COPC).
The company had refused to acknowledge the existence of a new leak, the official said. Only when authorities presented solid evidence from sonar imaging did the company admit that there was another leak on the sea floor some 10 metres from the previously identified source. The marine bureau ordered the company to work out a new plan that would address the issue permanently.
Meanwhile Xinhua reported that COPC had confirmed that oil-contaminated mud found near another rig, platform C, originated from the leak in mid-June.
The company said that the extra mud would bring the total leakage to 3,217 barrels, more than double its previous estimate of 1,500 barrels.
In yesterday’s statement, the company did not accede to the mainland authorities’ request for a public apology for its slow and ineffective cleanup efforts.
“We have already cleaned up approximately 70 per cent of the mineral-oil-based mud on the seabed and will have the additional volume cleaned up by the end of August,” the statement said.
Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs director Ma Jun said yesterday that environmental organisations had lost faith in ConocoPhillips’ credibility.
“They said they would do everything to clean up this mess, but everything they have done so far only helps them avoid lawsuits and fines in future,” Ma said.
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