Equinor progresses with oil spill recovery in the Bahamas

Sept. 12, 2019
Equinor is progressing with oil spill recovery at the South Riding Point terminal in the Bahamas after the impact of Hurricane Dorian. An onshore team has started to recover oil and move it into tank storage.

Equinor is progressing with oil spill recovery at the South Riding Point terminal in the Bahamas after the impact of Hurricane Dorian (OGJ Online, Sept. 9, 2019). An onshore team has started to recover oil and move it into tank storage.

Oil from the damaged tanks has been moved to remaining tanks at the facility to reduce the risk of additional spills. An oil boom has been deployed to close the harbor at the terminal as a precautionary measure, and to reduce the risk of oil spill to sea.

Two trucks have started recovery and transport of bulk free-standing oil on the ground to one of the tanks at the terminal.

A Sept. 11 update from Equinor noted two vessels mobilized for the response with 42 personnel and onshore oil-spill recovery equipment. The first vessel arrived at the terminal the evening of Sept. 10. The second vessel is scheduled to arrive Sept. 12.

A response team continues to assess the damage and plan the recovery work. Initial recovery assets have been deployed and additional machinery and equipment is being added.

It is still Equinor’s assessment that no oil is leaking from the terminal. An area with suspected oil spill in open water has now been confirmed to be a patch of seaweed.

Another area with potential product 70-80 km northeast of the terminal on the other side of the island has been observed from air and results are being processed. Currently, the company said, there are no indications that the terminal is the source.