Hibernia Management and Development Company (HMDC) has pled guilty to a charge stemming from a 2019 oil spill from the Hibernia platform offshore Newfoundland and Labrador.
The HMDC-operated Hibernia platform experienced two oil spills in 2019. The first spill was on July 17, 2019, when 12,000 litres of oil were spilt into the Atlantic Ocean. Hibernia was shut down as a result.
Just as the Canadian regulator allowed the restart of production from the platform, another spill happened in August 2019. The reported amount was 2,184 litres of oil. This spill was caused by a power outage due to a faulty fuel valve actuator on one of the two power generators while the other was offline due to maintenance. HMDC restarted production in September 2019.
Following an investigation, the Canadian regulator charged HMDC that, in addition to causing the spill, it did not immediately stop work that was likely to cause pollution and failed to follow proper processes to manage associated risks. In January 2023, the company entered not guilty pleas in a St. John’s, Newfoundland provincial court.
Earlier this week, Hibernia Management and Development Company pled guilty to “the introduction into the natural environment of any substance or form of energy outside the limits applicable to the activity that is subject to an authorization, including spills.”
The company was fined $90,000 and ordered to pay $310,000 to the Canadian Environmental Damages Fund.
It could have become a bit more complicated for HMDC only days ahead of the plea due to a piece of timber falling 15 meters from the tank support frame to the deck of the Hibernia platform on July 25.
Fortunately, no one was injured, however, the incident had the potential for fatality, according to the Canadian offshore regulator.
