The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) initiated a day long unannounced drill involving Murphy Exploration and Production Company this week. The exercise tested Murphy’s ability to respond to a simulated spill event in accordance with its Oil Spill Response Plan (OSRP).
The scenario simulated was a loss of well control 75 miles off the coast of Louisiana. As part of the exercise an incident command center was established in Slidell, La. and oil skimming recovery equipment was deployed aboard the Mississippi Responder from Pascagoula, Miss. Once at the designated location, testing of the skimmer was conducted along with the placement of oil containment boom arranged in a J formation. Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management participated in the BSEE led exercise.
These exercises are conducted in accordance with 30 CFR Section 254.42(g) as authorized by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Following an exercise, BSEE and other participating agencies review the day's events, identify lessons learned and provide appropriate regulatory feedback to help improve operators' approved OSRPs. The first exercise was conducted by the Department of the Interior on July 25, 1989, with an offshore oil and gas operator in the Gulf of Mexico.
