Transocean claims record sea depth for oil drilling
Offshore oil drilling group Transocean claimed Tuesday that it had a set a world record for deep water drilling at an ocean depth of 3,107 metres (10,194 feet) off the coast of India.
Cuba to begin oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico This Summer
Experts say the country might have 20 billion barrels oil reserves along Cuba’s north coast. Ocean scientists warn that a well blowout similar to the BP disaster could send oil spewing onto Cuban beaches and then the Florida Keys in as little as three days. If the oil reached the Gulf Stream, a powerful ocean current that passes through the region, oil could flow up the coast to Miami and beyond.
Houston company accepts responsibility for oil spill off Louisiana
A Houston-based oil company has accepted responsibility for a mysterious spill near Grand Isle, although it says it remains “surprised” that what it thought was a minor discharge from a long dormant well could have produced miles-long slicks.
Shipwreck causes oil slick and threatens penguin colony on South Atlantic island
A vessel has grounded on Nightingale Island, part of the Tristan da Cunha UK overseas territory in the South Atlantic, causing an oil slick around the island which is home to nearly half the world’s population of northern rockhopper penguins. 1,500 tonnes of heavy crude oil from the MS Olivia, is leaking into the sea.
The Gulf and the Environment: Redefining the Relationship
Any environmental tragedy is also a human tragedy, and because the oil is largely out of sight and for many out of mind, it is still wreaking havoc on the environment and the people whose lives depend on it.
Norway Rejected Oil Drilling in Ecologically Sensitive Waters
Norway on Friday rejected oil drilling in ecologically sensitive waters just above the Arctic circle, partly because of worries over a disaster like the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Marine Spill Prevention Policies in Spain Analyzed
The study analyzes the actions adopted by a dozen countries after suffering disasters similar to that of the Prestige, the oil tanker which sank off the coast of Galicia, provoking a spill of fuel-oil which turned out to be one of the biggest ecological disasters in the history of Spain.
Trade group sues over polar bear critical habitat, Anchorage, Alaska
Designation of critical habitat does not automatically block development but requires federal officials to consider whether a proposed action would adversely affect the polar bear’s habitat and interfere with its recovery.The lawsuit is the first filed in opposition to the critical habitat designation.
Border battle in Russia’s Arctic over oil, BP to Drill In Protected National Park
Oil drilling licenses have been distributed for drilling operations in the Kara Sea, off the coast of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, which borders the sea along the west and up to the north.