ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Husky restarted oil production off Newfoundland this week, but the company hasn’t yet determined how to repair the connector responsible for November’s oil spill.
The company halted production for more than two months in the White Rose oil field following a Nov. 16 oil spill of an estimated 250,000 litres.
Earlier this week, the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board approved Husky’s restart at one drill centre that uses a separate flowline from the one where the leak originated.
The board also approved Husky’s plan to retrieve the faulty flowline connector and bring it up for examination.
Husky senior vice-president Trevor Pritchard said it could be weeks before a two-day weather window appears for the company to retrieve the connector, plug the flowline and flush it with water.
Once the connector is retrieved, an engineering solution to repair the flowline will be presented to the board for approval.