The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) approved a deepwater permit for drilling a sidetrack for Murphy Exploration & Production Company Well #A008 in Green Canyon Block 338 in 3,325 ft water depth, approximately 170 miles southwest of New Orleans, Louisiana. This is the nineth well to be approved by BOEMRE following the release of new safety standards implemented in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill.
“This permit allows the drilling of the ninth deepwater well since industry demonstrated that it had the capacity to handle subsea blowouts and spills,” said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich. “We will continue to review and approve permits that satisfy our more rigorous safety and environmental standards and that demonstrate the necessary containment capabilities.”
Murphy had a rig on location when drilling preparation activities were halted due to the temporary drilling suspensions imposed following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. As part of its approval process, the BOEMRE reviewed Murphy’s containment capability available for the specific well proposed in the permit application. Murphy has contracted with the Helix Well Containment Group (HWCG) to use HWCG’s capping stack to stop the flow of oil should a blowout occur. The capabilities of the capping stack meet the requirements that are specific to the characteristics of the proposed well.
