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What would Guyana Govt. do if there was an oil disaster? – Int’l Lawyer, Melinda Janki asks
On 13th Anniversary of BP well blow out…
Kaieteur News – With today, April 20, 2023, being the 13th anniversary of the tragic BP Macondo well blow out, International Lawyer, Melinda Janki has proffered a critical question for citizens to ponder— what would the Guyana government do if, God forbid, there was a blowout?
International Lawyer, Melinda Janki
In her letter to the media yesterday, Janki recalled that the Macondo blowout is what had caused the Deepwater Horizon Rig to explode, leading to the death of 11 persons, and the extermination of millions of animals (including birds, dolphins, whales, fish, crustaceans, sea turtles). The disaster also destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of people.
She highlighted in her missive also that BP, a technologically savvy oil company, took 87 days to cap the well. She further noted that the response effort included the United States Coast Guard, Louisiana National Guard Troops, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, other federal agencies, private contractors and volunteers. Nevertheless, Janki said over 3 million barrels of oil polluted over 40,000 square miles of ocean and 1,000 miles of coastland.
Additionally, Janki said the National Commission on the disaster had concluded that, “The immediate causes of the Macondo well blowout can be traced to a series of identifiable mistakes made by BP, Halliburton, and Transocean that reveal such systematic failures in risk management that they place in doubt the safety culture of the entire industry.”
Janki reminded that BP had hired Schlumberger to test the cement job done by Halliburton on the well. According to Schlumberger, BP decided not to do the test and sent the Schlumberger team home at 11am. At around 9.50pm that night the well blew. Janki said it is prudent for readers to know that Halliburton’s website boasts of its involvement with ExxonMobil’s Payara Project. She highlighted too that Schlumberger is also in Guyana.
Importantly, Janki highlighted that the Macondo well blowout has cost BP and its partners more than US$70B. But it’s not over. She said, “Hundreds of lawsuits are in American courts from people who say they got cancer as a result of contamination during clean-up.”
Meanwhile, Janki noted that ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), has been operating the Liza Destiny vessel in the Stabroek Block above its safety level of 120,000 barrels a day. It has also been operating the Liza Unity above its design rate of 220,000 barrels a day. She referenced ExxonMobil Chairman, Darren Woods who has also boasted in his letter to shareholders that production from these two vessels is above 360,000 barrels a day. She also reminded of the concerns Guyanese have about production being ramped up with the blessings of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Given that Esso’s environmental documents for its Liza Phase Two Project where the Liza Unity operates shows what a blow up could look like with oil spilling across the Caribbean after just 30 days, let alone 87, Janki alluded that it is crucial for Guyanese to stop and ponder about the dangers of oil production.
And on this note, she therefore asked: What would the Guyana government do if, God forbid, there was a blowout?
While the EPA and the Government by extension have said the country has a US$600M insurance coverage for oil spill in place, stakeholders have said this is not merely enough given the cost of the Macondo disaster alone. Authorities are currently in the process of closing up discussions for a parent guarantee for the Stabroek Block which is expected total some US$2B. They have said more details would be released at the appropriate time.
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