OSRL opens Brazil base housing subsea capping stack

Oil Spill Response Ltd (OSRL), a global response cooperative funded by some 160 oil and energy companies, has opened a new base in Angra dos Reis, Brazil. The base houses one of OSRL’s four well capping stack systems designed to shut in an uncontrolled subsea well. The other three capping systems are stored in Norway, Singapore and South Africa.

Oil and gas companies across the industry can access the equipment through OSRL’s Subsea Well Intervention Services (SWIS). SWIS provides subscribers access to four response-ready capping stack systems and two subsea incident response toolkits for debris clearance, blowout preventer intervention and the subsea application of dispersant at a wellhead. The equipment can be used for the majority of known subsea wells in water depths up to 3,000 m. A global containment solution to supplement the well intervention system is also in development and will be ready for use by the end of 2014.

“Our new facility at Angra dos Reis has strategic significance, allowing us to deliver an enhanced service in a region which contains some of the world’s largest hydrocarbon reserves. With four capping stack systems, strategically located around the world, OSRL continues to deliver on its mission to enable the most efficient, safe and effective response to oil spills wherever they may occur,” OSRL Chief Executive Robert Limb said.

SWIS resulted from the collaboration of nine international oil and gas companies that established the Subsea Well Response Project (SWRP) in 2011, pooling resources to develop equipment that could enhance subsea well control capability. OSRL collaborated with SWRP to make this equipment available for the benefit of wider industry, and companies can now subscribe to SWIS to incorporate this essential subsea well contingency into their own incident response plans. 

“The arrival of world-class capping equipment in Brazil is a significant development for subsea well intervention in the region. Following the opening of SWIS bases in Norway, Singapore and South Africa, the inauguration of the Angra base today is the culmination of our work to enhance subsea well intervention capabilities around the world,” Keith Lewis, SWRP Project Manager, said. “Through the SWRP and OSRL, many of the world’s leading oil and gas companies have shared their expertise and resources for the benefit of the international industry. Our efforts will continue as part of the industry’s ongoing commitment to improve safety.”