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.

ENDS

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