Royal Dutch Shell has successfully used and tested emergency equipment meant to respond to a well blowout in the Arctic Ocean, US regulators said today.
Officials with the Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement oversaw exercises, carried out on Tuesday and Wednesday in waters near Washington state.
They focused on Shell’s capping stack, designed to sit atop a damaged well and choke off flowing oil and gas.
A similar exercise focused on Shell’s 20ft steel containment dome in March was initially deemed a success before regulators found concerns with some incidents during deployment.