Equinor to Clean up the South Riding Point Oil Terminal Spill in Bahamas
Norway based oil and gas major ‘Equinor’ will clean up the spills from the South Riding Point oil terminal, due to the widespread devastation across the Bahamas because of Hurricane Doria
Equinor said today that, resources are being mobilized as quickly as possible to safeguard people, the environment and the facility.
Company stated that, based on current visual assessments, there are no indications of continued oil leakage from the tanks or of oil spills from the terminal to sea or beaches.
Oil major is further examining to assess the full impact of the spill.
At the time of arrival of the hurricane, company had 54 personnel on Grand Bahama, which are confirmed safe and accounted for.
As standard procedure, employee relief is being provided, including water and food.
The South Riding Point oil terminal has sustained damage from the hurricane and oil has been observed on the ground at the terminal site and in neighboring areas. The size of the spill is not yet clear, said Equinor.
Also, security personnel are already on site at the terminal, working to secure the area and identify potential hazards.
Hot Tip
Equinor has secured vessels and equipment for oil spill response in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, and from various ports across southeast Florida. Some vessels are now en-route, while some are pending customs to be en-route as soon as possible. Upon arrival, clean-up and remediation will start immediately, company assured in its statement.
As a standard to cope up with oil spill, the equipment mobilized includes skimmers, oil containment booms, absorbents, pumps, pressure washers and boats.
Equinor is aware of the situation and states that, it is complex and challenging, with damage to infrastructure hampering progress in relief and response efforts.
Equinor has almost 100 members of its incident management organization in Norway and the US now working in coordination with our people on Grand Bahamas Island.
South Riding Point oil storage and transhipment terminal is located on Grand Bahama Island.
The terminal has 6.75 million barrels of crude and condensate storage and offers heavy crude oil blending services.
According to Equinor, South Riding Point is a full member of Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL), which provides equipment and expertise to its member companies for handling any pollution incidents at sea. In addition, South Riding Point has its own oil spill response equipment and expertise located at the terminal.