Plans for new Europe-wide standards for offshore oil & gas platforms

摘要

The european Commission has promised to overhaul existing EU legislation covering offshore oil and gas platforms, in an effort to ensure all Member States are complying with the highest safety standards. New legislation is set to be proposed by next summer, which will cover drilling permits, control of rigs, and safety control mechanisms. Following the explosion and subsequent fire on the Deepwater Horizon platform in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this year, in which eleven workers died and an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil leaked into the ocean, the Commission undertook a review of European safety and environmental standards for the oil industry.