No injuries but Hibernia oil spill posed threat of deadly blast and fire: regulator

ST. JOHN’S — The agency that oversees Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore energy sector says a recent oil spill and gas leak aboard the Hibernia oil platform could have caused a deadly explosion and fire.

The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Energy Regulator says the spill on May 12 was contained on the platform, but it was classified as a major hydrocarbon release based on the amount that leaked from a damaged piece of equipment.

No one was injured and none of the 1,600 litres of spilled crude seeped into the ocean.

The regulator says Hibernia personnel were preparing to pump crude onto a tanker when they noticed unusual noises coming from the platform’s utility shaft, where a drain on a sludge pump had been sheared off, releasing crude oil.