Petrobras announces that, since Jan 31, it has adopted all contingency procedures in response to the rupture that took place in the vertical production testing column (connecting the platform to the wellhead) of FPWSO Dynamic Producer. The platform is operating in the Extended Well Test (EWT) that is underway in the Carioca Nordeste area, in the Santos Basin, off the coast of Brazil. The procedures started shortly after the incident was identified.
Three oil collection vessels scouted the site yesterday afternoon. Additionally, two other boats are providing support for the mechanical dispersion of the remaining oil that spilled. Fifteen cubic meters of oily water were collected and will be handled in accordance with the environmental legislation.
This Wednesday morning, two fly overs were made in the region, with the presence of representatives from Ibama (the environmental protection agency of Brazil) and the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP). Only one area with scattered traces of oil was located during this inspection.
Ibama and Cetesb (the environmental company of the state of São Paulo) technicians monitored the work at Petrobras, in Santos.
The well that was connected to the vertical column was producing with a continuous monitoring and logging system. After the rupture, the well was automatically shutdown by the safety system, and it remains closed and in safe conditions.
All contingency resources remain in the area and will only be demobilized after authorization from the relevant bodies.
The causes of the incident are under investigation.
[mappress] Subsea World News Staff , February 02, 2012; Image: ANP