UPDATE 1 – NOIA Member Companies Engaged in Cohesive Deepwater Horizon Response

For Immediate Release:                                                                        Contact:  Nicolette Nye

Friday, May 7, 2010                                                                                 (202) 347-6900

UPDATE 1 -  NOIA Member Companies Engaged in Cohesive Deepwater Horizon Response

Updated to include additional companies* engaged in Deepwater Horizon Response.

Washington – As BP, the National Response Team, and an army of volunteers work feverishly to respond to the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico, NOIA member companies are lending their resources in an unprecedented cooperative effort to stop the flow of oil and prevent further damage to the environment.

These resources include land-based and offshore facilities, aircraft, marine vessels, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), a containment dome, subsea tooling, subsea video, dispersant, personnel, and technical expertise on suction systems, blowout preventers, dispersant injection, well construction, containment options, subsea wells, environmental science, emergency response, spill assistance, well intervention, and drilling and well competence.

“We are all working together to stop the uncontrolled release of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, as we mourn the tragic loss of 11 men and pray their families find comfort,” said Randall Luthi, President of the National Ocean Industries Association.  “We also thank all those who have worked, and continue to work 24 hours a day in rescue and response efforts, as well as in environmental impacts mitigation and oil spill cleanup.”

“Our member companies want answers as much as anyone as to the cause of this event, and we understand the offshore industry will be closely examined by the authorities at the state and national level,” Luthi continued.  “The members stand ready to cooperate and assist as aggressively as we are in the response and clean-up efforts.”

“Everyone deserves to work in a safe environment, and while there are risks associated with every industry, that risk can be significantly reduced and managed through careful consideration and evaluation,” said Luthi. “Our industry operates using incredible technology that rivals the space program. This technology and the unprecedented cooperation from NOIA member companies will be key to developing a solution that stops this accidental flow of oil into the Gulf, and helps to restore the faith of the American public in the offshore industry.”

To date, the NOIA companies below have offered and/or are providing the following assets to the response effort:

*AMPOL

AMPOL is currently contracted for the response to the oil spill.  AMPOL is providing 6 vessels with offshore skimmers and 6 vessels for the offshore insitu burning efforts. AMPOL also has crews in Mobile, Pascagoula, Venice and Stennis all working on the response efforts. AMPOL owns and operates a boom factory, which is currently producing booms 24 hours per day in this effort.

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*Chevron

Chevron is providing both direct and indirect support to BP and government agencies to help stop the leak and assist with the spill response. Specifically, Chevron personnel with expertise in subsea blow out preventer (BOP) intervention and subsea construction are assigned to support BP. Personnel from Chevron’s Pascagoula Refinery have joined the Coast Guard’s local incident command response team in Mobile, Alabama. BP has contracted Chevron Pascagoula Refinery’s marine wildlife rescue portable trailer as an additional resource. Chevron has also committed to the Department of Interior and the Minerals Management Service to engage in longer term efforts to further improve the safety and reliability of America’s critical offshore energy production.

*Bristow Group

Bristow group, an offshore services company, has made a number of its aircraft available to the response effort, including the following:

• 3 x S76C++ helicopters
• 2 x EC135 helicopters

Bristow is due to mobilize additional aircraft this and next week, and will be flying from Mobile, AL and Tampa, FL. Bristow has also made its Venice, LA base available for re-fueling. 

ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil has offered the use of a drilling rig as a staging base, two supply vessels, an underwater vehicle and support vessel and has provided experts to respond to BP’s request for technical advice on blowout preventers, dispersant injection, well construction and containment options. The company also continues to support the work of Tier 3 spill response and cleanup cooperatives, such as MSRC, Clean Gulf, and Oil Spill Response Ltd., to provide personnel and equipment, such as dispersants, fire boom and radios.  ExxonMobil is also identifying, procuring and manufacturing additional supplies of dispersant for potential use.

Shell Oil

• 6 OSRVs –  initially for fire fighting and search & rescue
• A dynamically positioned vessel with ROV
• EC135 helicopter
• ROV hot-stab panel
• Dispersant
• Containment Dome
• Technical experts in the areas of subsea wells, Environmental Science, and Emergency Response
• Robert Training and Conference Center (RTCC) in Robert, LA in full support of Unified Command including accommodations and press conferencing space.

ConocoPhillips

• Responded favorably to a request by BP to potentially access an adjacent ConocoPhillips’ lease for a relief well.
• Nominated two technical experts to participate in API's proposed joint industry government task forces
• Reviewed BP's current plans, offered ideas and technical assistance to BP 
• ConocoPhillips Crisis Management Emergency Response Center is in continual communication with BP's Incident Command Center to identify potential resources needed from the ConocoPhillips Incident Management Assistant Team (IMAT).
• As a member of both the Marine Preservation Association and the Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies, ConocoPhillips is helping fund the availability of cleanup equipment and dispersants.
• Made available the use of spill response equipment, chartered helicopters, marine vessels and a pair of shore bases in Louisiana.

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• Established a system for employees to make charitable contributions to non-profit agencies involved in the cleanup. Contributions will be matched by ConocoPhillips.
• Directing employees who are interested in volunteering to the central volunteer information site.

It should be noted that COP does not have any Gulf of Mexico drilling operations at this time; therefore has limited availability to boats or other equipment to offer BP to assist in the incident.

Diamond Offshore Drilling

• 1 each 7000’ hydraulic pod hose and pod reel
• 1 each BOP mandrel
• 1 each DWHC BOP connector

Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC)

• Coordinating 4 C-130 aircraft (1 MSRC, 1 Commercial, 2 Air Force) spraying dispersants, along with six smaller planes that act as spotters
• 8 Oil Spill Response Vessels (OSRVs)  – each 210’ long – on site and working actively
• 2 additional OSRVs en route from Maine and New York.
• 3 ocean-barges on site to capture and store oil that is skimmed up by the OSRVs
• 6 Fast Response Vehicles – each 47’ long – on site and working the scene
• 200 MSRC staff and field personnel, along with supervising over 1000 contractors
• Numerous shall water barges that hold pontoons used for skimming and can be deployed in shallow water situations to protect the shoreline

• Over 700,000 feet of boom deployed/staged under MSRC coordination

• Several fire boom systems

Anadarko

Anadarko has 4 employees inside BP assisting their technical teams.

Statoil

StatOil has offered both spill assistance and drilling and well competence.

Tidewater