Brazil: Chevron Plugs Frade Offshore Well to Stop Oil Seeps

Chevron Brasil is responding to oil seeps and a subsequent sheen that has occurred in the vicinity of the Chevron operated Frade project located 370 kilometers (230 miles) offshore north east of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in water depths of approximately 1200 meters (3800 feet).

Based on technical and direct observations, Chevron Brasil estimates that the sheen volume continues to be around the approximate range reported previously. Work continues on coordinating and deploying considerable resources to help control the sheen which is located about 120 kilometers offshore and moving in a south easterly direction away from the Brazilian coast.

There has also been significant progress on investigations into the source and cause of the oil that had been detected coming from a small number of seep lines in the vicinity of a Frade development drilling operation.

Investigations have led Chevron Brasil and Brazilian government agencies to suspect that an appraisal well drilled at the Frade offshore field last week is contributing to the oil being expressed through these seep lines. This appraisal well was closed in at surface on November 9 as a part of the precautionary suspension of drilling activities implemented by the company.

Chevron Brasil subsequently applied for and received approval from the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum (ANP) late Sunday to plug and abandon this well. The company has since commenced plugging and abandonment activities which involve a series of technical steps and actions culminating in the cementing of the well.

Chevron Brasil said it will continue to monitor the seep lines to evaluate the effect of the plug and abandonment work. The company continues to engage resources from Chevron Corporation​’s global response team and inform and work with government agencies and industry partners in its responses to the matter.

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Offshore Energy Today Staff , November 15, 2011