While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been quiet since news erupted that a drum of oil had leaked in the Stabroek block operations of ExxonMobil on Friday, the agency has since conducted an inspection of the affected area.
This was confirmed by a source close to the agency. On Saturday, ExxonMobil Guyana announced that on Friday, a drum of oil, from its Liza Unity FPSO vessel, had leaked into the ocean.
At the time, ExxonMobil had assured that the leak was contained and that all agencies, including the EPA, had been notified.
While this publication was unable to make contact with Head of the EPA Kemraj Parsram for a comment on the situation, a source did confirm that the agency visited the site already.
According to the source, EPA officials visited the Liza Unity on Sunday, to do an independent check on the situation. The EPA has not issued any statement on the situation.
ExxonMobil had said that the leak occurred during maintenance activities onboard the vessel.
The company said that as soon as it was discovered, all activities were halted while the leak was isolated and dealt with. According to ExxonMobil, by midday on Saturday, a support vessel in the area confirmed no further sign of a sheen on the water from the leak.
There has never been a serious mishap involving oil exploration efforts in the Stabroek block.
Nevertheless, ExxonMobil has been doing training sessions throughout the year, aimed at improving their response capabilities.
On the Government side, there is a National Oil Spill Contingency Plan, which was completed in 2020 through the input of multiple stakeholders.
