MWCC opens two new shore bases for well containment equipment (USA)

Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC) today announced the completion of two new shore base locations to house its well containment equipment available for use in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

In addition, this year marks the three-year anniversary of MWCC’s Interim Containment System (ICS) becoming available for use in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. To date, more than 150 permits have been approved citing MWCC’s system.

MWCC is committed to improving its equipment and response readiness in order to keep pace with its member company needs in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The company has built a strong organization and continues to make enhancements to its system. The availability of the two new shore base locations will strengthen MWCC’s existing capabilities and allow efficient mobilization of the expanded containment system if needed for a response.

“The delivery of the Expanded Containment System (ECS) required that MWCC find additional storage and maintenance capabilities for our equipment,” said MWCC CEO Marty Massey. “We are confident in our selection and this milestone helps MWCC further fulfill its mission to be continuously ready to respond.”

The interim system, previously housed on the Houston ship channel and in Fourchon, Louisiana, has been permanently moved to new shore base facilities located in Theodore, Alabama (near Mobile) and Ingleside, Texas (near Corpus Christi) in order to accommodate the expanded system which is expected to be available later this year.

The shore base at Theodore, Alabama houses the company’s subsea umbilical, risers and flowlines (SURF) equipment. The shore base at Ingleside, Texas houses modular processing facilities to outfit the company’s modular capture vessels (MCVs) and the capping stacks, which are the centerpiece of the containment system. MWCC’s expanded system will further advance the company’s deepwater well containment technology and capabilities. The ECS will be able to cap and flow a well in up to 10,000 feet of water and will have the capacity to contain up to 100,000 barrels of liquid per day.