Shell requested the zones to reduce the chance of collisions with vessels operating outside of the normal shipping channels, the Coast Guard said in a proposal to be published in Thursday's Federal Register.
A 500-meter safety zone would be established around the mobile offshore drilling unit Noble Discoverer, which Shell has said it would use to drill exploratory wells in the Chukchi Sea. The proposed zone would be established from July 1 through October 31.
"Placing a safety zone around the MODU will significantly reduce the threat of collisions that could result in oil spills and releases of natural gas and thereby protect the safety of life, property and the environment," the Coast Guard proposal stated. "Lawful demonstrations may be conducted outside the safety zone," it added.
The proposal said the request for the safety zone was made by Shell "due to safety concerns for both the personnel aboard the Noble Discoverer and the environment."
Incursions into the safety zone by unauthorized vessels could hurt Shell's efforts to monitor and mitigate threats to the drill ship, including ice-related hazards, the proposal stated.
A similar 500-meter safety zone is being proposed for the Kulluk, an MODU Shell has proposed using to drill exploratory wells in the Beaufort Sea.
The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has approved an oil spill response plan for Shell in the Chukchi. Approval of a spill response plan for the Beaufort is still being weighed by BSEE.
The company must still be granted individual permits to drill specific wells.
Comments on the safety-zone proposal are being accepted for the next 30 days.
--Gary Gentile, gary_gentile@platts.com
http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/Oil/6981174
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-8207.htm
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/02/23/2012-4025/safety-zone-kulluk-outer-continental-shelf-mobile-offshore-drilling-unit-modu-beaufort-sea-ak
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