ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT BARDOLINO DEVELOPMENT

Bardolino Development Environmental Statement
6 ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS
6.1 INTRODUCTION
This section discusses in greater detail the potential impacts (including potential cumulative,
trans-boundary and global impacts), which were identified in the assessment process
(Section 5) as being of greatest significance to the environment. These are:
• the physical presence of the drilling and support vessels (including anchoring of the
drilling rig);
• the discharge of WBM and cuttings from the well;
• the atmospheric emissions that would arise from the Bardolino development;
• the local disturbance to the seabed caused by pipeline trenching and backfilling, rock
dump stabilisation and mattressing;
• the installation and physical presence of the subsea structures (manifold, tree and
valve skid);
• the underwater noise that would arise from the Bardolino development; and
• the discharge of produced water at the Nelson platform.
In addition, the potential for accidental hydrocarbon spillage is discussed in relation to the
following scenarios, which are also considered as being of significance to the environment:
• a spill of hydrocarbons during drilling, installation, well blow-out, well test or other well
incidents;
• a release as a result of pipeline failure; and
• a spillage of diesel following the collision of a vessel with the drilling rig.
April 2008 Page 6-1