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Fire extinguished on Suncor offshore oil vessel that faces uncertain future

May 31, 2020 2:42 PM
Reuters

A fire on the idled Terra Nova oil facility that Suncor Energy operates off the coast of Newfoundland & Labrador has been extinguished, the energy regulator for the province said on Saturday, even as the vessel faced an uncertain future.

No one was hurt in the fire, the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board said in a statement. There was no oil or gas held onboard the vessel as it was not producing, the regulator said.

Further details were not available and Suncor could not be immediately reached.

The regulator ordered Suncor in December to shut down Terra Nova, operating in the Atlantic Ocean some 350 kilometres (217 miles) east of St. John’s, after finding that the company’s fire water pump system was non-compliant.

Terra Nova has operated since 2002 and can store 960,000 barrels of oil, according to Suncor, which owns nearly 38% of the vessel. Other companies, including Husky Energy , own smaller stakes.

Suncor had scheduled work on the vessel in Spain to extend its life by a decade, but said this month that it had suspended those plans due to the pandemic’s spread in that country.

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