IADC applauds EU agreement on offshore oil and gas safety

Houston, 22 February 2013 – The International Association of Drilling Contractors welcomes an agreement reached yesterday between the European Parliament and the European Council on a proposal for oil and gas safety legislation.

The agreement, reached yesterday, 21 February, was drafted in response to the Macondo disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to be formally approved in the coming months. The Commission reviewed Member States’ existing offshore safety protocols to draw up the new legislation. The proposed guidelines aim to guarantee the world’s highest safety, health and environmental standards for all operations in the European Union.

IADC worked collaboratively with Oil and Gas UK and OGP to campaign against the European Council’s initial inclination to impose new regulations. Working with the governments of the United Kingdom, Denmark, The Netherlands and Norway, IADC championed a directive so that each country is responsible for drafting its own regulations.

“After more than two years of struggle, the industry has prevailed in making the argument for a directive and against regulations imposed by Brussels. The distinction sets a platform for individual Member States to develop their own regulations. Had there been a direct mandate for regulations, it would have gone into effect immediately and caused massive disruption in oil and gas operations,” said Brian Petty, IADC executive vice president, government and regulatory affairs. “The agreed-upon legislation will ensure a much better result from a regulatory standpoint without disrupting existing offshore operations in the EU.”

For more information, including specifics on the agreement, please visit the Commission’s website.

About IADC

IADC is dedicated to enhancing the interests of oil-and-gas and geothermal drilling contractors worldwide. IADC’s contract-drilling members own most of the world’s land and offshore drilling units and drill the vast majority of the wells that produce the planet’s oil and gas. IADC’s membership also includes oil-and-gas producers, and manufacturers and suppliers of oilfield equipment and services. Founded in 1940, IADC’s mission is to improve industry health, safety and environmental practices; advance drilling and completion technology; and champion responsible standards, practices, legislation and regulations that provide for safe, efficient and environmentally sound drilling operations worldwide. IADC holds Accredited Observer status at the International Maritime Organization and the International Seabed Authority, specialized agencies of the United Nations. The Association is a leader in developing standards for industry training, notably its Well Control Accreditation Program (WellCAP)® and rig-floor orientation program, RIG PASS®. IADC is headquartered in Houston and has offices in Washington D.C., the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as chapters in the UK, Venezuela, Brazil, Australasia, South Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and across the United States. For more information, visit the IADC website at www.iadc.org.