Equinor ASA deployed vessels and equipment to clean up the oil spills in the area of its South Riding Point oil storage terminal in the Bahamas due to damage from Hurricane Dorian.
Equinor found spills on the ground at the site of the terminal at Grand Bahama Island, but assessments show no other signs of continued oil leakage from the tanks or spills from the terminal to the sea or beaches, according to a Sept. 8 news release from the company.
Equinor secured the vessels and equipment in Port Fourchon, La., and from various ports across southeastern Florida. The cleanup and remediation will start immediately upon arrival of the equipment.
Further assessment is ongoing to determine the full impact, and the size of the spills is still unclear, Equinor said. Security personnel is working to secure the terminal and identify potential hazards, but infrastructure damage is affecting progress in relief and response efforts, according to the company. The Norwegian company has provided relief to its 54 employees working at the terminal.
The terminal has a total storage capacity of 6.75 million barrels of crude and condensate and 10 tanks. It had 1.8 million barrels stored in three tanks during the hurricane, and another seven tanks contained residual oil. Equinor said five tanks lost their roofs due to the hurricane.
Equinor shut down operations at the terminal Aug. 31 in preparation for the hurricane.
