MAF and oil industry work together to protect New Zealand
MAARI Wellhead Inspection, Malaysia
Recognising the value of the oil exploration industry to New Zealand's economy, MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) is building a strong relationship with the industry to ensure the movement of offshore oilfield facilities into the country is done quickly and efficiently, while ensuring biosecurity risk is managed.
A huge wellhead platform was recently brought into New Zealand, bound for a new home off Taranaki.
The MAARI WHP (wellhead platform), was inspected and cleared in Malaysia for safe arrival into New Zealand by MAFBNZ Quarantine Inspector Stuart Hart. The wellhead and a flotation barge arrived in the Marlborough Sounds earlier this month on board the deck of one of the world's largest heavy-lift vessels, the Blue Marlin. The Blue Marlin is designed to semi-submerge, allowing the rig and barge to be floated off.
The Admiralty Bay arrival location was chosen for its deep and sheltered waters, which are well suited for this purpose. Once offloaded, the rig and its barge were towed to its drilling site off south Taranaki by two tugs.
The vessels (heavy lift, wellhead and barge) were inspected in Malaysia to verify there were no biosecurity risks associated with the platform, in order for it to come directly to Admiralty Bay, which is not a formal place of first arrival with inspection facilities.
MAFBNZ's Senior Adviser Marine, Liz Jones, says the offshore clearance of the rig is a good example of collaborative dealings between the oil industry and MAF.
The issue of oil rigs in New Zealand waters and related biosecurity risks has been in the news recently, with a different rig defouling (cleaning fouling matter from its submersed surfaces) in Tasman Bay, resulting in a clean-up operation to remove the risk of exotic pests establishing.
Liz says in the case of the Blue Marlin and MAARI WHP, the exploration company and shipping company followed all the rules laid down in the standard Requirements for Vessels Arriving in New Zealand.
“The agent, Unimar, undertook its own consultation process and risk assessment well ahead of the arrival, giving us the necessary assurances that the arrival was clean and more than met our minimum requirements,” Liz says.
“We applaud such proactive actions by industry, which enable us to manage biosecurity risk in a timely manner.”
In this instance, MAFBNZ was contacted at a very early stage of planning for the delivery of the wellhead and was able to ensure that biosecurity issues and their mitigation were included in the company's Procedure for Environmental Management for this project.
Nelson-based MAFBNZ Quarantine Inspector Stuart Hart made the trip to Lamut, Malaysia last month to carry out the inspection and meet with the Captain of Blue Marlin. He says that inspection was thorough.
“I found no sign of rodents in any of the bait stations. A baiting programme had been in place and a flushing programme for rodents was carried out in December. Additional rodent protection was assured with a new round of stronger baits placed on the rig just before departure.”
Stuart says to mitigate the risk of harmful exotic mosquitoes being carried to New Zealand on the wellhead, a programme of fogging the building areas on the platform was carried out with a permethrin insecticide. Several generators on board the platform had spillage trays holding diesel in the water, which would mitigate any chance of mosquitoes laying eggs.
As well as looking at the wellhead, Stuart inspected the outside of the accompanying stability barge, which showed that it had recently been cleaned and repainted. This is particularly important to ensure that foreign marine pests are not transferred to New Zealand waters on a dirty hull (although, in this instance, the fact the barge was being transported on deck means any marine organisms would be unlikely to survive the voyage).
The wellhead itself has been newly built and poses no marine biosecurity risk, and Stuart says he also received assurances that the Blue Marlin's hull had recently been cleaned and treated with antifouling coating.
With respect to the barge, ballast tanks were opened for a visual inspection and found to be empty and clean. There was no build up of silt present and the floor of the tank was clearly visible.
The intention was to fill the stability barge ballast tanks with water prior to arrival in New Zealand. This occurred about two days out from arrival here. This is deep sea exchange of ballast and meets MAFBNZ guidelines.
Vessel requirements
Blue Marlin also exchanged all ballast water on the voyage to New Zealand, meaning all ballast water on board on arrival here complied with the MAFBNZ Import Health Standard for ballast water.
Stuart says following his inspection and all discussions with the Blue Marlin's Master, he had full confidence that the vessel and its cargo of wellhead platform and stability barge did not pose any quarantine risk in Admiralty Bay.
Relevant New Zealand papers were issued to the Captain in Malaysia outlining requirements prior to the vessel being boarded by a MAFBNZ Quarantine Inspector, Customs Officer and Health Inspector on arrival at Admiralty Bay.
There is a steady increase of vessel traffic associated with the oil and gas industry and MAFBNZ has started work to develop guidelines. Liz Jones says she hopes to engage with all involved companies in the near future and establish a system whereby projects are worked through a single point of contact. She says MAFBNZ also hopes to produce clear requirements with respect to biofouling in the next two years.
Footnote: Thanks to TNL International Ltd, which acted as the Customs agent in this instance and signed the Service Agreement on behalf of its client UNIMAR, agreeing to accept all the costs of the offshore inspection.
- Liz Jones, Senior Advisor Marine, Border Standards, phone 04 894 0481
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Page last updated: 12 June 2008