To prevent a ?catastrophic event,? Coast Guard will establish safety zone around huge new offshore platform in Gulf of Mexico

Olympus Tension Leg Platform

To minimize the possibility of a ?catastrophic event,? the U.S. Coast Guard plans to establish a 500-meter safety zone around the ?Olympus Tension Leg Platform,? which Shell Exploration and Production Company plans to operate in a deepwater area of the Gulf of Mexico.

The huge platform, which set sail on July 13 on a 10-day, 425-mile voyage from Offshore Services in Ingleside, TX, to Mars B field in the Gulf, will operate in what is called Mississippi Canyon Block 807.

?Shell Exploration and Production Company indicated that it is highly likely that any allision with the facility would result in a catastrophic event,? reported the Coast Guard in a notice of proposed rulemaking it published in the Federal Register on July 18. (An ?allision? is the act of dashing against or striking upon.) To prevent such a disaster, the Coast Guard intends to prevent vessels from entering a 500-meter zone that will surround the platform.

?The proposed regulation would reduce significantly the threat of allisions, oil spills, and releases of natural gas and increase the safety of life, property, and the environment in the Gulf of Mexico by prohibiting entry into the zone unless specifically authorized by the Commander, Eight Coast Guard District,? says the notice.

The public is invited to submit comments by August 19 HN 2013 7 19 Olympus platform by visiting www.regulations.gov and citing docket number USCG-2013-0070 in the search box.

Further information about this proposed safety zone is available from Rusty Wright, of the Coast Guard, at 504-671-2138 or rusty.h.wright@uscg.mil.

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Source: http://www.gsnmagazine.com/article/30869/prevent_%E2%80%98catastrophic_event%E2%80%9D_coast_guard_will_esta

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