Leaky Pipes Causing Hefty Fines: Perenco Receives A £6.1 Million Oil Spill Fine

Oil firm Perenco has recently been fined £6.1 million after an oil spill that occurred in March 2023. The leak occurred at a pipeline operated by Perenco under Owers Bay at Poole Harbour, UK and originated from Wytch Farm, an oil field and processing facility that produces 14,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Amounting to 200 barrels of reservoir fluid – 15% of which was oil – the spill posed a major risk to both humans and the natural wildlife in the area.

Oil spills are catastrophic, with several long-lasting consequences including physical damage to and toxic poisoning of wildlife, habitat destruction, and disruption to fishing and tourism economies. When these incidents occur, the firms involved must carry out strict response plans that minimize the consequences, as well as extensive investigations to reduce recurrence. In the wake of the Owers Bay leak, Perenco activated an oil spill plan, shut down the pipeline and placed two oil-absorbent booms to catch the escaping substance. An investigation by Perenco identified that the cause was microbial corrosion in a buried pipeline.

Poole is the largest natural harbour in Europe and a major ecological site, supporting diverse populations of wading birds, many of which are considered endangered species. It has been marked as a site of special scientific interest, increasing the pressure on Perenco to instigate a swift action plan to minimize environmental damage. The organization implemented immediate restrictions across the affected area to contain the potential impacts. Public access was halted, and activities such as swimming and sailing were suspended, while anyone who had already come into close contact with the spill was advised to take precautionary measures. The initial response and clean-up contributed to a hefty total bill for the incident. The early response amounted to £2.6 million, while the clean-up was worth £2.4 million and subsequent ecological surveys cost £115k. The clean-up package included paying £620,000 to affected parties and £400,000 to local wildlife projects.

Oil spills are not an unexpected risk for firms in the oil and gas industry. As such, technology providers have developed both dedicated support tools and broader EHS software functionality to help deal with oil spill response. Several EHS software vendors offer mobile-first reporting of incidents such as leaks, which trigger dedicated response workflows that coordinate with emergency agencies. This accessibility enables teams to identify potential incidents in their infancy, reducing the risk of catastrophic consequences. Oil and gas firms can also invest in modelling tools that help plan and respond to oil spills by predicting movement and the impact of contaminants. For example, RPS’s OILMAP system delivers a robust modelling engine that forecasts surface and subsurface oil movement, while also providing support for contingency planning and shoreline impact assessment.

The incident at Poole Harbour highlights the severe consequences that an oil spill can have for both the perpetrator and the surrounding environment. It is essential that firms working in oil and gas have dedicated workflows to identify and mitigate these incidents. Technology offers functionality to streamline these workflows with early identification and automated escalation, along with deep-dive analysis to identify the root cause of the issue. To read more about technologies that offer emergency response functionality, visit the Verdantix research portal.