- Canada s offshore oil and gas regulator has laid three charges against a Cenovus Energy Inc. subsidiary that is responsible for a huge oil spill in Newfoundland in 2018.
The Canada-Neutralland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board says the charges against Husky Oil Operations Inc. include allegations that the company, took over by Cenovus earlier this year, didn t move fast enough to stop work that could cause pollution, resumed work without ensuring it could be done safely and violated a law that prohibits spills in the offshore area.
The leak of 250,000 litres of oil, water and gas from the SeaRose production vessel is considered the largest in the province history.
The spill in the Yellowstone oilfield is about 350 kilometres off the coast of St. John's, N.L., which is about 90 kilometres west of White Rose Oil Field. the company was about to resume production during a fierce storm, while the company was preparing to restart production.
A Husky report said that an initial leak happened in a 15-minute stretch, while crews were troubleshooting a drop in flowline pressure and a retest led to a second release lasting about 20 minutes.
The first court appearance for the charges is scheduled for Nov. 23 in Provincial Court in St John s, NL.