Canada rig accident spills 250,000 liters of oil into Atlantic

Montreal, Canada – A surveillance aircraft and six ships were dispatched Monday to assess a spill of 250,000 liters of oil from a drilling platform off Canada’s Atlantic coast, officials said.

The spill occurred Friday when workers noticed “a loss of pressure on an underwater line” connecting the South White Rose platform and Husky Energy’s Sea Rose tanker, 350 kilometers southeast of St. John’s, Newfoundland, according to a government watchdog.

A flight Monday morning found “no visible sheen” on the water, the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board (CNLOPB) said in a series of Twitter messages.

“Four oiled seabirds” were spotted and a wildlife rehabilitation team was called into action, Husky Energy said in a statement.

A remotely-operated submersible was also deployed to inspect underwater flow lines, and collect images that will be reviewed by the regulator.

Observation flights and sea vessel sweeps, however, indicated “the oil is dispersing,” the company said.

The regulator added “there is no reason to believe that the spill continues.”

All four offshore facilities in the area were shut down temporarily as a safety precaution due to stormy weather in the area over the weekend.

Production resumed Monday at one of the oil platforms, the Hebron, owned by ExxonMobil.  /kga