A study mapping-out potential risks to the UK’s coastal environment, marine life and traffic as a result of hydrocarbon releases from energy industry activity and shipping has been completed.
Xodus Group, in association with London Marine Consultants, delivered the review of the hydrocarbon release risk on the UKCS over the next decade for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), an agency of the Department for Transport of the UK Government.
The high-level review evaluated the risk of a serious mineral oil release occurring in UK waters from vessels of more than 1,000 gross tonnage (GT), including oils carried as cargo, bunker fuel and from offshore installations.
It includes the nature of risk and the likelihood of a serious hydrocarbon release in UK waters considering developments in ship and rig design and operations, and analysis of historical releases and near misses. The report also provides a lookahead during the 2020s, to anticipate how changes in industry, aging infrastructure and/or decommissioning will affect the level of risk.
The review will inform the MCA’s oil spill preparedness planning and associated activities for the next decade and consists of five reports: Oil cargo and bunkers; Qualitative review of the spill risk from ships; The offshore risk, overall assessment of the risk and a summary report for the project.
Xodus formed a multi-disciplinary team of geospatial specialists, marine architects from London Marine Consultants, safety engineers, environmental modellers, environmental impact assessor and economists with a wide-ranging knowledge of the upstream oil industry and shipping to deliver this project.
By Jake Frith
