BP Canada plans to drill up to seven exploratory wells off the southeast coast of Nova Scotia that are at least 3.5 times the distance from land and up to twice the depth of the well beneath the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig.
The Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 after the Macondo well, located 5.6 kilometres below surface, blew out — resulting in the deaths of 11 men and the largest marine oil spill in history.
The company’s proposed solution if a catastrophic blowout happens in Canadian waters relies on shipping a capping (Read more…) from Norway, a process that is estimated to take between 12 to 19 days — but it could take between 13 and 25 days total to actually cap the well with the device.