|
U.S. rocket bypasses Atlantic oil fields Canadians scrap evacuation plans; rest easy as more information emerges about preparations for Cape Canaveral launch Rose Ragsdale Petroleum News Contributing Writer
The U.S. Air Force launched a rocket without incident from Cape Canaveral, Fla., April 29, despite worries sparked in Newfoundland by its flight path.
The Titan IVB rocket, carrying a military satellite into space, successfully jettisoned a 10 tonne booster in the Atlantic Ocean a few kilometers from the Hibernia oil field without affecting operations at the Hibernia offshore platform or the nearby Terra Nova floating production platform.
Canadian officials led by Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams had complained earlier that the rocket might drop debris on the platform. U.S. Air Force officials insisted that the rocked posed no significant threat, noting that the chance of debris from the rocket hitting a platform was one in a trillion.
Hibernia produces more than 200,000 barrels per day of oil, while Terra Nova extracts 165,000 bpd of crude. The bulk of the output is exported to the United States.
Then the rocket launch was delayed for repeated technical reasons. Several more delays followed before the rocket finally lifted off at 8:50 p.m. EDT April 29. Evacuations cancelled Upon learning of the planned launch, oil companies and the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board started organizing evacuations of 234 workers from the fixed Hibernia platform and 78 people from the floating Terra Nova platform and an oil rig working at the White Rose field.
The evacuation was scrubbed when Canadian leaders learned more about the launch, Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board spokeswoman Simone Keough said May 4.
“We received assurances from the federal government that there would be no problems,” Keough said. “The problem initially was the amount of information available when we learned the rocket booster would land in the Grand Banks. It was a prudent decision at the time.”
But when the Canadians learned that the U.S. military had designated someone whose sole job was to destroy the rocket if it veered off its trajectory and obtained more information about the risk analysis for the launch, Keough said “the level of comfort increased significantly.”
The Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board passed on the assurances to the oil companies, who opted to continue oil production without interruption when they learned the platforms would not be affected, said Alan Jeffers, a spokesman for ExxonMobil Canada, which operates the Hibernia field. Petro-Canada operates the Terra Nova production facility.
“It is the first time to our knowledge that a solid rocket booster has landed in the Grand Banks at the same time oil production was under way out there,” Keough added.
| 