BSEE, Coast Guard Enter Agreement to Improve Offshore Oversight

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director James Watson and U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Joseph Servidio announced Thursday at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas a new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that will strengthen the working relationship between their two agencies on the management of safety and environmental protection responsibilities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

"Both BSEE and the Coast Guard have specialized expertise in the management of safety and environmental protection programs offshore," said Director Watson. "This agreement with the Coast Guard will bring together resources and expertise from both agencies as we work to ensure both orderly resource development and protection of the human, marine and coastal environments."

"The Coast Guard and BSEE share the goal of keeping our oceans clean and offshore workers safe," said Rear Admiral Servidio. "This agreement solidifies the commitment of each regulatory agency to work across agency boundaries in order to develop a coordinated regulatory approach that promotes safety through the use of safety management systems."

Under the current regulatory regime, both the U.S. Coast Guard and BSEE have shared responsibilities for the regulation of safety management systems on the OCS. This MOA ensures a comprehensive, joint approach to safety and environmental management. Together, BSEE and the Coast Guard will use this agreement to establish a process for the identification of offshore safety and environmental management requirements within the jurisdiction of both agencies and to spur the development of joint policies and guidance. The agreement also provides a mechanism to ensure that all future regulations, policies and guidance are enforced consistently by both agencies.

The MOA is implemented in accordance with an overarching Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BSEE and the Coast Guard signed November 27, 2012. The MOU outlined the efforts of the two agencies to closely coordinate responsibilities for regulation and enforcement on the OCS and for the establishment of future focused agreements such as the one announced today. It was the first MOU between the two agencies since BSEE became a bureau in 2011.

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BSEE, Coast Guard Enter Agreement to Improve Offshore Oversight

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director James Watson and U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Joseph Servidio announced Thursday at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas a new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that will strengthen the working relationship between their two agencies on the management of safety and environmental protection responsibilities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

"Both BSEE and the Coast Guard have specialized expertise in the management of safety and environmental protection programs offshore," said Director Watson. "This agreement with the Coast Guard will bring together resources and expertise from both agencies as we work to ensure both orderly resource development and protection of the human, marine and coastal environments."

"The Coast Guard and BSEE share the goal of keeping our oceans clean and offshore workers safe," said Rear Admiral Servidio. "This agreement solidifies the commitment of each regulatory agency to work across agency boundaries in order to develop a coordinated regulatory approach that promotes safety through the use of safety management systems."

Under the current regulatory regime, both the U.S. Coast Guard and BSEE have shared responsibilities for the regulation of safety management systems on the OCS. This MOA ensures a comprehensive, joint approach to safety and environmental management. Together, BSEE and the Coast Guard will use this agreement to establish a process for the identification of offshore safety and environmental management requirements within the jurisdiction of both agencies and to spur the development of joint policies and guidance. The agreement also provides a mechanism to ensure that all future regulations, policies and guidance are enforced consistently by both agencies.

The MOA is implemented in accordance with an overarching Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BSEE and the Coast Guard signed November 27, 2012. The MOU outlined the efforts of the two agencies to closely coordinate responsibilities for regulation and enforcement on the OCS and for the establishment of future focused agreements such as the one announced today. It was the first MOU between the two agencies since BSEE became a bureau in 2011.

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Coast Guard: Shell Pipeline Spills Oil Into Houston Area Bayou

An estimated 50 barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline operated by a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell PLC into a waterway outside Houston, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Shell clean-up crews were working to clear the crude out of Vince Bayou, a waterway that connects to the Houston Ship Channel, which leads into the Gulf of Mexico, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Steven Lehman. The spill was contained but the total amount of oil was still being verified, Officer Lehman said.

"That's a very early estimate--things can change," Officer Lehman said.

On April 3, about 700 barrels were found to have leaked from the West Colombia pipeline because of an unknown cause, with up to 60 of those barrels emerging in the bayou, Shell spokeswoman Kim Windon said. The pipeline had been shut down and isolated on March 29 after alarms alerted the company that oil may have leaked from the line.

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Coast Guard: No Oil Spilled after NOLA Barge Crash; Fire Still Burning

A fire is still burning nearly a full day after a tug pushing a barge crashed into a pipeline in a bayou south of New Orleans Tuesday evening, but the Coast Guard said there is no visible oil in the water.

Earlier Wednesday, the Coast Guard had said a mile-long sheen was visible near the site of the incident, but it now says that was actually ash from the burn of the liquefied gas in the pipeline.

The pipeline fire is now about 30% smaller than it was earlier in the day, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

The barge, which the Coast Guard said is still intact, was carrying 2,215 barrels of oil when the tug crashed into the pipeline in Bayou Perot in Lafourche Parish, about 30 miles south of New Orleans, according to the Coast Guard.

The pipeline, which transports liquefied petroleum gas, is owned by Chevron Corp. and the tug by Settoon Towing LLC, according to the Coast Guard.

A spokesman for Chevron said the company has shut in the pipeline, which connects the Venice, La., gas plant to the pump station in Paradis, La. The company said products are being rerouted to avoid the pipeline, and the company has mobilized emergency crews to help with the response.

The Coast Guard said all crew members were able to exit the tug, though the captain is reported to have suffered second- and third-degree burns.

ES&H, an oil-spill response organization, has deployed thousands of feet of containment boom, a skimmer, and several response vessels, the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard will fly over the area Wednesday afternoon to assess the damage.

Copyright (c) 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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US Coast Guard: Barge, Pipeline Burn After Crash; Oil Slick Visible

A fire is still burning nearly a full day after a tug pushing a barge crashed into a pipeline in a bayou south of New Orleans Tuesday evening, but the Coast Guard said there is no visible oil in the water.

Earlier Wednesday, the Coast Guard had said a mile-long sheen was visible near the site of the incident, but it now says that was actually ash from the burn of the liquefied gas in the pipeline.

The pipeline fire is now about 30% smaller than it was earlier in the day, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

The barge, which the Coast Guard said is still intact, was carrying 2,215 barrels of oil when the tug crashed into the pipeline in Bayou Perot in Lafourche Parish, about 30 miles south of New Orleans, according to the Coast Guard.

The pipeline, which transports liquefied petroleum gas, is owned by Chevron Corp. and the tug by Settoon Towing LLC, according to the Coast Guard.

A spokesman for Chevron said the company has shut in the pipeline, which connects the Venice, La., gas plant to the pump station in Paradis, La. The company said products are being rerouted to avoid the pipeline, and the company has mobilized emergency crews to help with the response.

The Coast Guard said all crew members were able to exit the tug, though the captain is reported to have suffered second- and third-degree burns.

ES&H, an oil-spill response organization, has deployed thousands of feet of containment boom, a skimmer, and several response vessels, the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard will fly over the area Wednesday afternoon to assess the damage.

Copyright (c) 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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US Coast Guard: Barge, Pipeline Burn After Crash; Oil Slick Visible

A fire is still burning nearly a full day after a tug pushing a barge crashed into a pipeline in a bayou south of New Orleans Tuesday evening, but the Coast Guard said there is no visible oil in the water.

Earlier Wednesday, the Coast Guard had said a mile-long sheen was visible near the site of the incident, but it now says that was actually ash from the burn of the liquefied gas in the pipeline.

The pipeline fire is now about 30% smaller than it was earlier in the day, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

The barge, which the Coast Guard said is still intact, was carrying 2,215 barrels of oil when the tug crashed into the pipeline in Bayou Perot in Lafourche Parish, about 30 miles south of New Orleans, according to the Coast Guard.

The pipeline, which transports liquefied petroleum gas, is owned by Chevron Corp. and the tug by Settoon Towing LLC, according to the Coast Guard.

A spokesman for Chevron said the company has shut in the pipeline, which connects the Venice, La., gas plant to the pump station in Paradis, La. The company said products are being rerouted to avoid the pipeline, and the company has mobilized emergency crews to help with the response.

The Coast Guard said all crew members were able to exit the tug, though the captain is reported to have suffered second- and third-degree burns.

ES&H, an oil-spill response organization, has deployed thousands of feet of containment boom, a skimmer, and several response vessels, the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard will fly over the area Wednesday afternoon to assess the damage.

Copyright (c) 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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