Chevron to cap, abandon leaking Brazil oil well
November 16th, 2011 - 11:53 am ICT by IANSRio de Janeiro, Nov 16 (IANS/EFE) Brazilian oil regulator ANP approved Chevron Corp’s plan to seal a leaking offshore well, the official Agencia Brasil news agency said Tuesday.
The leak began Nov 8 at the well in the Frade field, located in the Campos Basin about 370 km from the coast of Rio de Janeiro state.
The well lies at a depth of nearly 1,200 meters.
Chevron’s Brazilian subsidiary plans to begin by injecting mud into the well and then seal it with cement, according to Agencia Brasil.
The oil is leaking at a rate of 400-650 barrels per day, enough to create a stain of 163 sq. km, though the patch of crude remains 120 km from the coast, the news service said.
Eight Chevron ships and 10 vessels owned by other oil companies operating in the area have been assigned to containment and cleanup efforts.
Brazil’s president, Dilma Rousseff, has ordered a “rigorous investigation” into the spill.
With a 51.7 stake, Chevron is the lead operator in the Frade field. Brazilian state oil giant Petrobras holds 30 percent of the venture and the rest belongs to the Frade Japao Petroleo Ltd. consortium.
Chevron, which began drilling in Frade in 2009, says the field contains 200 million to 300 million barrels of oil equivalent.
–IANS/EFE
rd
- Greenpeace protests Chevron oil spill off Brazil - Nov 19, 2011
- Chevron faces $25 mn fine for Brazil oil spill - Jul 20, 2012
- `Chevron out of Brazil if it fails to comply with agreement' - Dec 05, 2011
- Brazil suspends Chevron drilling rights after spill - Nov 24, 2011
- Petrobras reports gas leak at drilling platform - Nov 28, 2011
- Brazilian police question Chevron's oil clean-up - Nov 21, 2011
- Chevron detects new oil leak in Brazil - Mar 17, 2012
- Brazil seeking $10 bn from Chevron for oil spill - Dec 16, 2011
- Brazil calls on oil firms to operate responsibly - Mar 22, 2012
- Brazil oil giant announces new find - Aug 04, 2012
- Brazil says offshore find holds high-grade oil - Aug 15, 2012
- Petrobras finds oil signs during deepwater exploration - Oct 28, 2010
- Brazilian firm makes offshore crude find - Mar 21, 2012
- Brazilian officials probe oil found on beach - Dec 20, 2011
- Brazilian firm finds offshore oil, gas fields - Jul 06, 2011
Tags: anp, brazilian state, campos basin, cement, chevron, chevron corp, cleanup efforts, consortium, containment, dilma rousseff, lead operator, news agency, oil companies, oil equivalent, oil giant, petroleo, rigorous investigation, rio de janeiro, spill, state oil