BP restarts drilling offshore Canada after June leak

BP has resumed drilling operations offshore Nova Scotia, Canada, after it had stopped it following an offshore leak in June.

The British oil major said on Monday it had received authorization from the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB) to resume drilling operations at its Aspy D-11 well location using Seadrill’s West Aquarius semi-submersible drilling rig.

As previously reported, on June 22, a remotely-operated vehicle inspection discovered a leak about 30 meters below the water surface. Drilling operations were suspended once the leak was detected.

According to BP, the repairs and integrity testing were since completed and it was determined that the cause of the leak was a loose connection of the booster line on the riser.

“BP has immediately implemented improved inspection procedures to prevent any future occurrences…BP takes this incident very seriously and is fully cooperating with the ongoing incident investigation,” BP said.

On July 11, as a precautionary measure, BP disconnected and moved the West Aquarius drilling rig away from the exploratory well location during a hurricane which passed in the vicinity. Once the weather conditions improved, the West Aquarius moved back to the well location.