DECC said that a review has been carried out by its officials, which has found that the existing system is fit for purpose, but in light of the spill in the Gulf it is strengthening the regime further.
DECC is increasing the oversight of drilling operations through the recruitment of additional inspectors in its Aberdeen office. This will double the number of annual inspections to drilling rigs.
In light of the Gulf of Mexico incident, DECC is reviewing the indemnity and insurance requirements for operating in the UK Continental Shelf.
Industry trade association Oil and Gas UK has established a new group of regulators and oil companies to examine the nation’s strengths and weaknesses in responding to a Gulf like incident. DECC said that it is participating in this group and the secretary of state will be examining its findings closely.
The EU has asked companies operating in EU waters to provide assurances that they are working as hard as possible to ensure safe practice and that they are able to take on full responsibilities for environmental and other damage if an incident were to occur.
Chris Huhne, secretary of state, said: “Initial steps are already under way, including plans to double the number of annual environmental inspections by DECC to drilling rigs and the launch of a new industry group to look at the UK’s ability to prevent and respond to oil spills.
“In addition, I will review our new and existing procedures as soon as the detailed analysis of the factors which caused the incident in the Gulf of Mexico are available. This will build upon the work already begun by the newly formed Oil Spill Prevention and Response Advisory Group.”
