Minister comments on the release into the sea of  synthetic drilling
mud by the �GSF Grand Banks� drill rig and reported to the C-NOPB

Ed Byrne, Minister of Natural Resources was advised by the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NOPB) that the drill rig GSF Grand Banks reported the release into the sea of approximately 4 cubic meters (26 bbls) of a Synthetic-based Drilling Mud.

The incident occurred April 4, 2005 just before 4:00 a.m.

"Government views the release of any material into the ocean seriously," said Minister Byrne. "At this stage, I expect the C-NOPB as the lead agency to complete its review and report back on the cause of the release and any mitigation measures to be undertaken. We are actively monitoring the situation and will offer further comment once the Board has conducted its review."

Upon notification of the incident, the C-NOPB�s Chief Conservation Officer (CCO) confirmed that drilling operations on the rig were suspended. Approval from the CCO is required before operations can resume at the GSF Grand Banks. The GSF Grand Banks is under contract to Husky Energy in the White Rose field.

The C-NOPB advisory on the matter is available at www.cnopb.nf.ca or www.gov.nl.ca

Media Contact: Carmel Turpin, Communications (709) 729-5282


2005 04 04               4:40 p.m.