News

Thirty three endangered sea turtles have finally been released back into Gulf of Mexico waters off the coast of Louisiana, after being cared for by the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans.

The turtles, some of the 500 rescued after the BP oil spill, were released 40 miles south west of Grand Isle. They were found covered in oil by rescuers in the days and weeks after the spill. Jane Lubchenco from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric institute (NOAA) stated:

"We were able to release these turtles because they're now healthy, and we're seeing recovery in the surface habitats of the Gulf of Mexico,".

Although officials declared an end to the disaster on the 19th of September, the spill clean up operation is still ongoing and efforts are still underway to revive wildlife in the region.

There have been extensive tests on the water in the region over the last few weeks by scientists making sure that the sargassum algae was clean. This provides protection to turtles and is a haven for food and other sea creatures.

The Audubon Nature Institute's CEO Ron Forman stated:

"Six months ago, it was nearly impossible to imagine this day would ever come,".

BP is still struggling to come to terms with the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the damage it has done to their reputation. And to try to boost public concern, have announced that the only employees that will receive bonuses in Q4 will be those whose performance on safety issues has been impeccable.

BP’s new emphasis on safety is part of their marketing drive to improve public feeling towards the company. And to bolster this they are going to lead a group of oil companies in the design and build of a spill containment device that can cap a well in the North Sea if a well blow out similar to Deepwater happened.

Previous bonus factors such as plant uptime and production volume will not be considered for Q4 bonuses. This means that the majority of employees who do receive a bonus will be employees based in operational roles.

BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley stated:

“The sole criterion for performance reward for our operating businesses in the fourth quarter of 2010 will be performance in safety, compliance, silent running and operational risk management and exhibiting and reinforcing the right behaviours consistent with these goals,

“For the longer term, we need to achieve all of our objectives in safety, compliance and risk management in conjunction with our operational, financial and functional objectives. We are now reviewing the appropriate measures to embed into our reward systems for the longer term.”

The head of Royal Dutch Shell launched a stinging attack on BP last week.

The company head, Peter Vosser, claimed that Shell would not have made the mistakes that BP had made, which led to the worst environmental disaster in US history.

He stated:

“Shell clearly would have drilled this well in a different way and would have had more options to prevent the accident from happening,”

He did however acknowledge that the oil industry as a whole was underprepared for such an accident when speaking at the Oil and Money Conference in London last week.

BP declined to make a comment on Vosser’s allegations, but the news will not have been welcomed with open arms by the beleaguered oil company.

Royal Dutch Shell said that the Macondo well included a number of cheaper design options which US politicians sited as BP’s tendency to put profits before safety. However, Royal Dutch Shell have themselves a tarnished record. Only in 2004 they had to pay £200m in fines after they said their oil reserves were 20% larger than they were, making the company a lucrative share prospect. And they have come under increasing pressure for the way they handle operations in the Niger Delta in Africa and Alberta, Canada.

As homeowners, we use wheelie bins on a daily basis to dispose of our household rubbish. And over the last few years, most of us have been presented with an array of different coloured wheelie bins so we can recycle our glass, plastic and paper waste.

On an industrial site, you will still have to dispose of waste and are likely to have a vast quantity to get rid of, compared to the general household. It’s for this reason that manufacturers supply wheelie bins in a vast array of sizes in a number of different materials.

Standard wheelie bins

Standard wheelie bins are available in sizes up to 360 litres and are suitable for the disposal of any type of waste. Being made from high density polyethylene, they can withstand inclement weather and are tough and durable enough to withstand the rigours of being used at an industrial site. They are compatible with all waste lifting machines and are easy to manoeuvre, even when full.

Wheeled waste bins

Wheeled waste bins are available in sizes up to 1100 litres and can be purchased in either high density polyethylene or steel. Steel bins are fully galvanised and are built to withstand any environment, their four wheel design and rubber tyre castors makes them really easy to push along.

The ban on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico was lifted by US president Barak Obama last week.

The ban had been in place since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded with the loss of eleven lives at the end of April. The resultant spill caused many thousands of tons of oil to be released into the Gulf causing serious problems for the four affected US States.

The US government has now imposed new safety conditions on oil firms to reduce the chance of an oil spill.

US interior secretary Ken Salazar stated:

"We have decided it is now appropriate to lift the suspension on deepwater drilling for those operators that are able to clear the higher bar that we have set,

"The oil and gas industry will be operating under tighter rules, stronger oversight, and in a regulatory environment that will remain dynamic as we continue to build on the reforms we have already implemented."

The drilling ban was lifted a month early after politicians pushed through the new safety conditions before elections in November. The news was received well by companies who had operations halted in the Gulf like Royal Dutch Shell and Transocean, but has received criticism from Environmental groups who want to see an end to the US’s dependence on oil.

Two workers have been taken to hospital after an oil spill at a Tyneside factory.

The accident happened on Wednesday afternoon when 6,000 litres of transformer oil spilled out of a fuel tank at NaREC Clothier Laboratories.

Firefighters were alerted to the spill at the Hebburn plant which is sited on Victoria Road West after a cherry picker accidently knocked off a valve from the tank.

One member of the company visited the South Tyneside District Hospital after the spilled oil got into his eyes; the other was taken as a precautionary measure.

A specialist spill containment company was called to clean up after the spill.

Larger spills can be difficult to clean due to the sheer quantity of liquid spilled. But if you need a suitable response kit for small or medium sized spills there are many different types available on the market. From spill kits that are solely used for mopping up chemical spills, to spill kits that are perfect for general use, you should be able to find a suitable spill solution.

If you use chemicals at your industrial site, you will need to take precautions in the event of a spill.

Chemicals can be highly toxic and as such, each substance you use should have its own risk assessment attached. This risk assessment should let staff know how to handle the chemical and what to do should they become exposed to this chemical. This system will reduce risk to staff members and let them know the dangers when using this substance or compound.

If a chemical does leak, it’s important to have the right type of spill response equipment in place to clean up the spill and eliminate the danger caused by the spill. To do this you can find all sorts of spill control equipment available to tackle chemical spills.

Chemical spill absorbents

Absorbent pads, pillows, mats and socks are available that have been especially manufactured to clean up spills. These are available in different sizes and with different absorbency levels.

Chemical neutralising agent

When the spill is soaked up using an absorbent, a neutralising agent needs to be used on the spill area to render any residue harmless. Chemical neutralisers are available in either acid, alkali or bleach forms.

A collision between a tanker and a container ship in the North Sea has seen paraffin leak from one of the vessels. The accident happened 30km from Schevenbingen off the Dutch coast.

The accident occurred at 7am local time on the 13th of October when the Mindoro tanker, of Greek origin, was holed by the Cypriot container ship. The spill, at water level, caused some the Minora’s cargo of jet fuel to leak into the sea.

A Dutch coastguard spokesperson said the spill had been brought under control quickly.

He stated:

"There is no longer any leakage of the jet fuel,

"There was some leakage, a small trail of about three nautical miles, but it's very light material and it's evaporating very soon, so there is no danger for the environment."

The cause of the collision remains unclear, but weather conditions and sea conditions did not play a part in the collision as both were calm at the time of the accident. The Mindoro’s cargo was transferred to another vessel and the Cypriot container vessel, although damaged in the incident, was able to steam back to Rotterdam.

A specialist anti-spill vessel has been commissioned by the Mumbai government to control pollution and stop its damaging effects affecting marine life.

The spill control vessel will patrol the waters off the Mumbai coast and is much needed if the recent oil spill in the area is anything to go by. The vessel, which will be manned by ten officers and ten sailors, will be called the ICGS Samundra Prahari. It was commissioned by senior members of the Maharastra government including chief minister Ashok Chavan and Western Naval Command vice admiral Sanjeev Bhasin.

Bhasin stated:

"Samudra Prahari will be deployed extensively for EEZ surveillance and such other duties. Because of heavy trade, the possibility of accidents leading to marine pollution cannot be ruled out. In such cases, this vessel will be useful."

The ship will contain a myriad of spill control and containment equipment including booms and dispersants. And will be the coast's first line of defence against spills in the region.

Being the Indian Coast Guard’s first pollution control vessel, it remains to be seen what effect the ship will have on pollution in the area, but it’s a step in the right direction.