Check out a few of the latest headlines in the maritime world!
Trump administration sued for rolling back offshore safety regulations
Source: Offshore Technology
A coalition of ten environmental groups is suing the Trump administration for rolling back offshore safety regulations in the US.
They are taking this legal action in response to the weakening of the Well Control and Blowout Preventer Rule, established in 2016 in the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
The rule requires upgrades to drilling practices and technologies, regular tests of safety equipment and inspectors completely independent from the oil and gas industry.
No End in Sight for Record Midwest Flood Crisis
Source: Scientific American
The 2019 Mississippi River flood fight is going to slog deep into the summer — and maybe much longer.
While communities north of St. Louis are beginning the expensive path to recovery after record-breaking winter and spring precipitation and runoff, people below the Missouri River are shoveling mud from their houses and praying for a dry spell.
The Lower Mississippi Valley remains in a flood crisis as high water continues to swamp streets, homes, businesses, sewage and water treatment plants, and farm fields, including across some of the poorest counties in the United States.
US authorities investigating deadly falls from Gulf of Mexico platforms
Source: Energy Voice
On June 2, a worker died at a Chevron platform at the Green Canyon Block after falling 90feet through an “open hole” created inadvertently by two other workers who picked up the wrong hatch cover.
Days earlier on May 29th, another worker on a Renaissance Offshore installation fell 45 feet to the water’s surface through a displaced section of grating, which is being treated as a man overboard/ missing persons incident.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the US Coastguard have set up panels of inspectors and engineers to investigate.
One of the Navy’s New Warships Just Crashed in Canada
Source: Popular Mechanics
The USS Billings, a brand-new littoral combat ship, now has a brand-new ding in her hull. The Billings struck a commercial vessel this week while leaving the port of Montreal, Canada, on her way to her permanent home port. No injuries were reported on either ship, but the Billings sustained minor damage to the ship’s superstructure.
“An ongoing tragedy”: the effects of oil spills
Source: Offshore Technology
While safety is a priority for oil and gas companies, spills do happen and can have potentially devastating effects on surrounding ecosystems. But precisely how do they damage the environment, and what impact could this have on humans? Offshore Technology explores the effects of oil spills.