Macondo – Lessons and implications for the North Sea

10 October 2012 Aberdeen Evening meeting

Chairman Neil Gordon, Chairman, Subsea UK

Report 

Flyer 

Overview

The Macondo Deep Water Horizon tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico provided a salutary reminder of the dangers involved in deep water drilling, and the far reaching implication for personnel, the environment and future operations which result from such incidents. While the ramifications of Macondo, and the legal battle will continue to run, the industry has been quick to react and learn the lessons for its future operations. This event will look at the legal lesson and implications, as well as one of the practical responses, the OSPRAG Capping device.

Presentations

Contractual Lessons from Deepwater Horizon 1
Contractual Lessons from Deepwater Horizon 2

Uisdean Vass and Euan Palmer, Partners, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP

1. Overview of events to date re. Deepwater Horizon and the related litigations;
2. A look at the arguments of BP and Transocean in their proceedings;
3. A look at the arguments of BP and Halliburton in their proceedings;
4. Analysis;
5. Lesson ‐ (a) negligence in offshore operations (b) willful misconduct in offshore operations; (c) public policy; (d) knock for knock regimes; (e) damages: (f) risk allocation.

The OSPRAG Capping Device

Brian Kinkead, Consultant and lead on OSPRAG, Technical Review Group

The OSPRAG Capping Device was an industry fast‐track project designed to provide a contingency capability to cap a UKCS subsea oil well. The presentation will focus on the technical, operational and organisational challenges of delivering such a project and address some of the issues that operators are required to have considered prior to commencing operations.