response approach

Leadership Team

WHAT IS THE ANNUAL DRILL?

To ensure HWCG is ready to respond to a deepwater incident, we host and participate in a large-scale annual source control exercise to test and train against our response solution. Our exercise brings together hundreds of experts through our member companies and Response Providers in conformance with our Mutual Aid program, which supplements our member's institutional knowledge, equipment and resources.

Regulatory agencies will also be present at the annual exercise, including the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), the United States Coast Guard and the gulf coast states Regional Response Teams.

Read a detailed overview of our well containment process on Rigzone.

WHY DO WE ORGANIZE IT?

While offshore equipment is designed to prevent the loss of well control, offshore oil and gas operations must be ready to respond in the event of a deepwater blowout. Operating Members plan their response and practice their plan. HWCG supports its membership in the Gulf of Mexico through sponsoring the annual drill which demonstratively represents our commitment to protect people, property and the environment.

WHAT WE DO

During the exercise, the Responsible Party (host company) and Mutual Aid supporters will develop detailed plans specific to the response scenario, which can include debris removal, subsea dispersant use, capping stack deployment, well shut-in planning techniques, relief well(s) planning, flow-back planning, and equipment mobilization plans, depending on the well control scenario.

Additional objectives covered during the exercise include, but are not limited to:

• Demonstrating the adequacy of the designed command post as an incident command venue
• Integrating HWCG Mutual Aid and core contractor resources into the member response organization
• Testing the capacity of communications systems for seamless information flow for regulators in locations remote to the incident command center and the Responsible Party

With any emergency response exercise, the main objective is to test the applicability of a response plan. The exercise strives to meet objectives from HWCG, the host company and government agencies in order to be deemed a success.

ANNUAL DRILL KEY PLAYERS

• Host Member
• HWCG Members through Mutual Aid Supporters
• HWCG Response Providers
• Member Vendors
• Government Regulatory Agencies

MEDIA INQUIRIES

If you're interested in learning more about HWCGs mission or more information about the annual drill, please fill out the form below: