'Very high possibility' oil will be found in Bahamian territory
By ALISON LOWE
Tribune Staff Reporter
alowe@tribunemedia.net:
THERE is a "very, very high possibility" that oil will be found in Bahamian territory as a result of exploration currently underway, Environment Minister Earl Deveaux has said.
Meanwhile, the environment minister stated that the catastrophic consequences of the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will "directly affect (The Bahamas government's) approach" to how it manages any oil or gas resources that are discovered.
"We would have the top experts in the world advising us and would certainly look for the best in class to ensure our oversight of any oil exploration or drilling in The Bahamas is done with the highest safeguards," said Dr Deveaux.
He said his understanding about the likelihood of oil being found in Bahamian territory, where a number of companies currently hold licenses for such activity, is based on conversations he has had with persons involved in the industry, who have to come to his Ministry to seek permission to go ahead with exploration in The Bahamas, and from findings in neighbouring countries like Cuba.
Dr Deveaux said it would be "impractical and unreasonable" to say that the Bahamas would shy away from oil exploration or drilling as a consequence of the potentially environmentally-devastating oil spill that officials are currently seeking to contain off the coast of the US state of Louisiana.
"The world is not going to shy away from oil because of this accident. This is not the first or the last," he added.
While such comments may not be news to the ears of environmentally-conscious Bahamians who would fear the impact of an oil spill in Bahamian waters, other comments from the US Coast Guard official overseeing the Gulf of Mexico oil spill may be.
Commandant Admiral Thad Allen yesterday told the US-based CBS news show "Face the Nation" that there is at present a "very, very low probability" that the oil slick released from the Deepwater Horizon spill will travel around the Florida coast and affect the east coast of the United States.
Fears had been raised that if the slick were to come in contact with the "loop current" - a warm ocean current that moves clockwise through the Caribbean Basin to the Gulf of Mexico and then the Florida Straits - Bahamian waters and islands could be affected.
While the situation remains relatively unpredictable, Commandant Admiral Allen told the Sunday morning news show that the loop current "is significantly south of the southern edge of the spill right now."
"I think it is a very, very low probability it will be impacted," Allen added, noting that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is studying the issue. "It does not appear to be a threat right now," he said.
At present it is estimated that 5,000 barrels or 210,000 gallons of oil are being emitted from the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil well, following the explosion and subsequent collapse of the oil rig there, which is licensed to British energy company, British Petroleum.
Efforts to stymie the flow of the oil were setback over the weekend after plans to drop a 98 ton "containment dome" over the oil leak and siphon oil to the surface did not go as planned.
The placement of the dome was postponed after engineers noticed a build-up of crystallised gas inside the chamber.
Commandant Admiral Allen stated that officials are now considering using a "junk shot" to stem the flow of oil.
This would involve shooting a mix of debris - including shredded tyres and golf balls - into the well at high pressure to clog it.
Meanwhile, crews have begun to drill a relief well into which oil from the original well could be channelled, but this is estimated to take between one and a half to three months.
May 10, 2010
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