Transocean Rig in Collision With Ship Off Newfoundland
A Transocean Ltd. (RIG) offshore drilling rig working for Husky Energy Inc. (HSE) off the coast of Newfoundland was struck by a supply ship and damaged yesterday, according to regulators.
The supply vessel Maersk Detector and the GSF Grand Banks came into contact at 3:30 p.m. local time, according to the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board. Both the rig and the ship were damaged above the water line and are not in danger of sinking.
There were no reports of injuries or pollution, the board said in an e-mailed statement.
The rig has a hole four meters (13 feet) to five meters long in one of eight columns that support it, Husky spokeswoman Colleen McConnell said in an interview from St. John’s, Newfoundland. Once the well is secured and equipment on the sea floor disconnected the rig will be towed near shore or to a shipyard for repairs, she said.
Maintenance that was planned for January will be moved ahead as part of the repair, McConnell said. The damaged section of the rig was sealed and made water tight.
The rig was completing a water-injection well for Husky’s White Rose field 217 miles (349 kilometers) off Newfoundland and Labrador. The board said Nov. 21 that lines that help control pressure separated on the rig, which had finished drilling the well and was running casing, or steel pipe, into the bore.
To contact the reporter on this story: Gene Laverty in Calgary at glaverty@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Dan Stets at dstets@bloomberg.net
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