Ahh.. a topic near and dear to my heart.
or perhaps it's my wallet.
I am a Canadian drilling guy, posting from an offshore drilling rig in the Southern Sector of the North Sea U.K.
Well first off I guess we need to decide if drilling anywhere is good or bad.
If it is bad then it does'nt matter whether its on land or offshore.....bad is bad.
I personally believe it's a necessary evil.
We burn carbon and so we either drill or mine for it.
If we ( or some of us) continue to burn carbon then I guess drilling has to be tolerated.
Obviously we need to try and be as safe,ethical, and minimum impact as is possible.
As most are aware Western Europe has far stricter safety and environmental standards than does Canada.
Offshore drilling takes place in the waters of UK, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Holland and Sweden to name a few.
Zero spillage standards are the norm. The underside of the rig is a huge drip pan.
All cuttings, waste fluids (like water) are contained and are "skip and ship" for disposal on shore.
Environmentally correct chemicals, additives, and detergents are standard.
Any non-environmentally friendly substances (like oil) are closely monitored and contained.
Energy effeciency is required.
Recycling is far far advanced of Canadian industrial standards.
Plastics, paper, batteries, aerosols, organics are all seperated and shipped to shore.
Our galley alone has 5 recycling bins with even uneaten food seperated and shipped to town for composting.
We have our own monitored sewage treatment plant.
Flaring or spillage of crude oil.....forget it.
The ROV shows that the underwater flora and fauna seems relatively happy and unmolested.
But lets face it....its a huge, noisy drilling rig burning thousands and thousands of litres of diesel every day.
Is that a good thing... of course not.
Can it be done cleaner and or lower impact.....always.
Karrie spoke of the offshore platforms of the US Gulf Coast.
She is absolutely correct about the fishing around the production platforms.
The US Gulf is shallow and for the most part has a sandy, silty bottom.
The production platform legs serve as attachment points for various marine plants and animals and in a few years a kind of vertical artificial reef develops.
In move the predators and voila...great fishing.
I have fished those platforms several times and its always both fun and productive.
Does that make the platforms good....of course not.
If you use or consume any product that contains any hydrocarbons my position is that you automatically support drilling.
After all where did you think the stuff came from....mars?
If you support drilling then offshore or land what difference does it make?
It is up to the various government agencies, energy companys, residents and all concerned individuals to insist on the highest available standards are enforced.
If the standards are not maintained....shut down the operation until they are.
Obviously I support offshore drilling......I am doing it right now.
Trex