FOLLOW-UP MEETING OF THE DRILLING CAMPAIGN BETWEEN THE MINISTRY OF MINES AND HYDROCARBONS AND THE COMPANY TRIDENT ENERGY.

Source: MMHGE

The meeting took place on Wednesday, February 7, with the participation of the Hon. Mr. Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons, Mr. Antonio OBURU ONDO, accompanied by his technical team and the General Director of Trident Energy, Mr. Pierre CAPO, accompanied by his technical team.

The Island Innovator Drilling Platform, which arrived in the jurisdictional waters of Equatorial Guinea on November 1, 2023 to drill new wells in the country, is experiencing serious problems with the explosion/blowout preventer called BOP, (which is used to seal, control and monitor oil and gas wells to prevent explosions or blowouts).

The BOP does not respond to control commands to open or close the valves as needed. These pressure control systems can cause a serious accident when they fail while drilling; especially when hydrocarbons have already been found in the reservoir, such as, for example, the uncontrolled release of crude oil and/or natural gas to the surface.

For this reason, the Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons, the Operator Trident Energy and partners, upon noticing the delay in solving this problem with the BOP, are evaluating alternatives for a safe way to continue with the drilling campaign.