The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), U.S. Coast Guard, and Walter Oil & Gas Corporation (Walter), through the Unified Command, continue to oversee and coordinate response efforts to secure the South Timbalier 220 natural gas Well A-3. Safety of personnel and protection of the environment remain the top priorities.
All available options to safely secure the natural gas well remain under consideration. Work is moving forward on all approaches. Clean-up work on board the Hercules 265 Rig has been completed. Gas detectors and high-capacity water jet fire monitors have been installed on board the Hercules 265 rig.
BSEE has reviewed and approved Walter’s plans and procedures for debris removal from the well site.
Walter’s application for permit to drill a relief well was approved Saturday by BSEE. The Rowan EXL-3 jack-up rig, contracted by Walter, is on location at South Timbalier 220 and crews are completing rig preparations in order for drilling to begin. Pipe driving began late yesterday and it will continue through Friday. Driving pipe is a preliminary procedure conducted prior to beginning to drill. Once pipe driving is complete, the relief well will be spud and drilling is expected to continue for approximately 35 days. Many factors can affect the expected schedule including weather and the intricate work of locating the target well bore at the end of the drilling process. A relief well is drilled to intercept the target well. Once intercepted, drilling mud followed by cement will be pumped into the well to secure it.
From visual observation, a sheen is no longer present in the area of the well. The Coast Guard continues to maintain a 500-meter safety zone around the site. Firefighting and other marine vessels remain onsite with personnel from Walter, Hercules, and other professional engineering contractors, and relevant federal agencies. BSEE’s investigation into the cause of the loss of well control continues in coordination with the Coast Guard.
[mappress] Press Release, August 02, 2013