Spills

The spillage of oil, drilling muds and other chemicals presents a significant potential environmental risk arising from our activities. We provide spill contingency plans for our offshore production and drilling activities. These are tested and reviewed regularly.

To mitigate these risks, we implement spill prevention measures as an integral part of our Environmental Management Plans, and should a spill occur, we can respond to any pollution incident in our producing fields. All our exploration and production activities have detailed spill contingency plans, supported by dedicated resources and equipment, and regular training exercises.

There were six spills reported in our operations in 2009. In Cairn India, three oil spills totalling approximately 12 bbls (1,900 litres) and one chemical spill of 2 bbl (318 litres) were recorded. Two minor spills – one diesel spill and one chemical spill – totalling 0.07 bbls (12 litres) were reported in our Bangladesh operations. No spills were recorded in our other operations in Albania, Tunisia and Greenland.

To reduce the likelihood of spills from road transportation, Cairn India set up a safety management system in 2009, with full management support. The system, which includes a road risk survey, detailed tanker specifications and driver competency testing, now covers more than 400 road tankers travelling regularly between Barmer and Kandla, a distance of about 540 km.