By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Jan. 31 -- BP PLC said Jan. 31 it has joined the Marine Well Containment Co. LLC (MWCC). Last year, BP announced plans to join the organization and to share its response experience and equipment (OGJ, Sept. 20, 2011, Newsletter).
MWCC, a nonprofit joint venture, was organized following the April 2010 blowout of BP’s deepwater Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana. The blowout resulted in an explosion and fire on Transocean Ltd.’s Deepwater Horizon semisubmersible and a massive oil spill.
Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil Corp., and Royal Dutch Shell PLC formed the MWCC to provide emergency equipment and response services for future oil spills in the gulf (OGJ Online, July 21, 2010).
BP said equipment that it will bring to the MWCC includes riser, manifold, and containment systems deployed for use during the Deepwater Horizon response. In addition to the transfer of equipment, BP also will bring its information and supporting records, drawings, permits, licenses, and other technical information it developed throughout the spill response.
These items will be part of the MWCC interim response system aimed at enhancing deepwater safety and environmental protection in the gulf. MWCC companies are involved with the engineering, procurement, and construction of equipment and vessels for the system.
BP noted that it’s also involved in industry efforts to improve prevention, well intervention, and spill response. This includes rig inspections and implementation of new requirements on blowout preventer certification and well design.
159458497 Aleksei Zakirov | Dreamstime.
Photo from Esso SAF.
