The U.S. Minerals Management Service has awarded a $1 million contract to Ecology & Environment Inc. (E&E), Buffalo, for assessment of the environmental effects of using floating production, storage, and offloading vessels (FPSOs) in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
While FPSOs are used for deepwater developments in many areas of the world, MMS is required by the National Environmental Policy Act to determine the potential environmental effects of their use in U.S. gulf waters before they can be installed there (OGJ, May 10, 1999, p. 21).
E&E will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the use of FPSOs in the Gulf of Mexico. The project is being financed through the industry group Deepstar, said MMS, with 14 of the consortium's members providing all of the necessary funds.
The EIS will examine a hypothetical vessel with 1 million bbl of storage capacity. This FPSO would receive hydrocarbon liquids production. It would be offloaded periodically by smaller shuttle tankers, which would transport the oil to port.
A high-case scenario with 2.3 million bbl of storage capacity also will be examined.
A draft EIS is to be released in March or April 2000, and public hearings will be held in April or May. A final EIS, which MMS said "will consider all comments received," will be released in September or October of next year.
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