Anadarko Says Deep Sea Oil Leaks Could Take Two Weeks to Be Capped
A representative of Anadarko has admitted that a deep sea oil blowout in New Zealand could take up to two weeks to be
capped.
Drilling manager Stuart Boggan told the ENEX oil and gas conference in New Plymouth yesterday that if drilling
operations were to cause a blowout, equipment would need to be flown and shipped in from the United Kingdom, taking up
to 14 days.
The admission has been slammed by local group Oil Free Wellington who are concerned about the prospect of a spill in the
Wellington region.
Anadarko Petroleum currently holds permits for deep sea oil exploration in the Pegasus Basin, off the coast of
Wellington, and is planning to begin initial surveying this December. Anadarko also has plans to drill off the coasts of
Taranaki and Oamaru this year.
"The fact that they are operating without adequate emergency equipment is outrageous" said Oil Free Wellington
spokesperson Chrissy Hamill. “If anything were to go wrong, the results would be absolutely devastating for wildlife,
for the local community, and for the economy.”
“The Deep-water Horizon explosion took 87 days to cap. Now Anadarko want to explore in waters twice as deep. It's not a
risk New Zealanders should be taking."
Anadarko had a 25% share in the Deep-Water Horizon rig which exploded in 2010, killing 11 workers and spilling an
estimated 190 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. They are currently in court in the US facing 3 trials
relating to the spill. A recent investigation by journalist Gordon Campbell, for the monthly publication Werewolf, has
shown how Anadarko was a central part of the decision making process behind the cost-cutting and safety breaches which
led to the Gulf of Mexico disaster.
For more information contact Spokesperson Chrissy Hamill 0273397864
ENDS