Environmental Statement - Maersk Oil

Balloch Field Development Environmental Statement
Section 1 Introduction
Activities associated with exploration or production/storage operations that are authorised
under the Petroleum Act;
Additional activities authorised solely under the DECC environmental regime, for example,
chemical and oil discharges.
Therefore, activities which are not regulated by the Petroleum Act, or under the DECC environmental
regime and decommissioning operations, require an MCAA licence as of April 2011.
Oil Pollution Emergency Plans (OPEPs) are required under the Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution in
Preparedness, Response and Co‐operation Convention) Regulations 1998. The regulations require the
arrangements for responding to incidents which cause or may cause marine pollution by oil to be in
place and the consequence of incidents to be assessed, including the potential environmental and
socio‐economic impacts.
1.5. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Maersk Oil is committed to conducting activities in compliance with all legislation and operates an
ISO14001 certified Environmental Management System (EMS) as part of the wider Business
Management System (BMS). The EMS was independently certified to ISO14001 in 2011. Maersk Oil’s
commitments to ensuring protection of the environment are set out in the HSEQ policy, a copy of
which is provided in Appendix C. The EMS covers all aspects of Maersk Oil’s activities including
exploration, drilling and production activities.
The Business Management System comprises five key elements:
1. Policy;
2. Organisation;
3. Planning and Implementation;
4. Performance Management;
5. Audit and Management Review.
Together these five elements form Maersk Oil’s “Plan‐Do‐Check‐Act” approach to EMS management
which actively promotes continuous improvement in all aspects of the organisation’s activities.
The management system is subject to internal reviews and audits. Audits are planned and progress is
reported monthly to senior management. In addition, Maersk Oil periodically evaluates compliance
with environmental legislation, including applicable permits, licenses and other requirements. All
non‐conformances with legislative requirements are reported and investigated.
All activities associated with the drilling, testing, subsea installation and production of the Balloch
field will be covered by the EMS.
Maersk Oil’s contractor management process requires that all contractors conform to either Maersk
Oil’s BMS or their own management system. As part of the contractor selection process, capabilities
with respect to environmental management are evaluated with audits being performed to verify
environmental capability. The contractor’s capabilities are assessed to varying levels dependent on
the environment, health or safety criticality of the service in question.
1.6. AREAS OF UNCERTAINTY
There are a number of aspects of the Balloch project where the chosen development option has yet
to be defined. Where a number of development options exist, the project has chosen to assess the
worst case scenario for environmental impact. This section details the areas of uncertainty for the
Balloch project.
1.6.1. WELL LOCATION
The proposed location of the Balloch wells may be subject to a minor adjustment following on from
site survey results.
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