BSEE issued in the past two weeks a total of six Incidents of Noncompliance (INCs) to four separate offshore contractors working in the Gulf of Mexico for violations of federal regulations pertaining to oil and gas operations. The contractors have 60 days to appeal the INCs. The violations will be reviewed for possible civil penalty assessments.
In August 2012, BSEE released its Interim Policy Document (IPD) on issuing INCs to contractors working on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The IPD outlined the criteria for issuance of the INCs and provided guidance to inspectors and District Managers.
Normally, the violations cited in an INC have to be corrected within 14 days or a plan for corrective action has to be submitted. In the case of an accident or a one-time event where the conditions of the violation no longer exist, the contractors are being asked to document how the violation took place and what is being done to prevent its re-occurence.
BSEE first exercised its authority to issue an INC to a contractor in October 2011 when Transocean and Halliburton received INCs related to the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill.
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Press Release, March 18, 2013