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Hilcorp gets BOEM approval for Cook Inlet 3D geophysical survey
Kristen Nelson Petroleum News
The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said Aug. 14 that it has approved Hilcorp Alaska’s request to conduct a geophysical survey in federal waters of Cook Inlet. BOEM said the area to be surveyed is west of Kachemak Bay in lower Cook Inlet.
The agency said the company expects to begin the survey in late summer or early fall and will have 60 days to complete it, with the exact length of the survey to depend on weather and any schedule adjustments needed to protect marine mammals.
In a letter to Hilcorp Alaska Senior Vice President David Wilkins, BOEM’s Megan Carr, regional supervisor resource evaluation, said the activity will be conducted for Hilcorp by Polarcus U.S. Inc., with operations proposed to begin on or after Aug. 31 and be completed on or before Oct. 31.
The letter notes that the National Marine Fisheries Service issued Hilcorp incidental take regulations for whales and pinnipeds on July 31, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued ITRs for sea otters Aug. 1. “Hilcorp applied for and received Letters of Authorization from NMFS and USFWS covering permit activity,” BOEM said.
Environmental assessment, FONSI On Aug. 6, BOEM issued an environmental assessment of the proposed action and a finding of no significant impact. The agency said it received no comments from the general public; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided comments as a cooperating agency.
BOEM said the seismic survey covers some 375 square miles of outer continental shelf waters. Hilcorp acquired 14 OCS blocks in federal OCS lease sale 244 in June 2017, the agency said. The survey covers 42 OCS blocks in lower Cook Inlet, eight of which are leased by Hilcorp.
In its Aug. 14 press release, the agency said the survey will involve one seismic acquisition vessel and two support vessels, with the acquisition vessel towing the airgun array and streamers and the support vessels providing general provisions for the source vessel, including supplies, crew changes, etc. Support vessels will also monitor the in-water equipment and maintain a security perimeter around the streamers.
Trained protected species observers will be deployed on the vessels throughout the survey program, the agency said.
BOEM said the Hilcorp survey will be the first geophysical survey in Cook Inlet since a July 2005 survey conducted by Veritas DGC.
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