ConocoPhillips drill plan for four Browse wells in pristine waters near Scott and Seringapatam Reefs, off shore from Broome, WA, claims no risk to sharks, whales, turtles and reefs

First 23 of 23 paragraphs shown ConocoPhillips had filed plans to drill on or near pristine coral reefs offshore from Broome, and claimed its works would create no damage to wildlife, reef structure and fresh water on the Heritage locations of the island reefs. It claimed Scott and Seringapatam Reefs were not to be drilled, and drilling would not endanger the many endangers and vulnerable species in the area. The area was three adjacent permit areas (WA-314-P, WA-315-P and WA-398-P) in Commonwealth Waters within the Browse Basin, offshore northern Western Australia (WA) The reefs were regionally significant because of their high representation of species not found in coastal waters of Western Australia and for the occurrence of fauna with affinities with oceanic reef habitats of the Indo-West Pacific
Six threatened species: The identified species may occur in the vicinity of the well zone
Blue Whale: Balaenoptera musculus Endangered
Green Turtle: Chelonia mydas Vulnerable
Leatherback Turtle: Dermochelys coriacea Vulnerable
Whale Shark: Rhincodon typus Vulnerable
Streaked shearwater: (Calonectris leucomelas and Puffinus leucomelas)
Bryde’s Whale: Balaenoptera edeni May occur in Browse Basin region;
Killer Whale: Orcinus orca: May occur in Browse Basin region.
Sperm Whale: Physeter macrocephalus May occur in Browse Basin region.
Other protected species: 30 species of fish(pipefish, seahorses and pipehorses), one species of shark (whale shark, vulnerable/migratory), 13 species of seasnake, three species of turtle, amd 20 species of cetaceans
350-700 metres: Water depths ranged from 350 to 570 m. The wells will be drilled using the Sedco 703 semisubmersible drilling rig to depths of up to 5,170 m. The campaign is scheduled to commence in the third quarter of 2008 and continue for a period of approximately 225 days.
2 km marine foot print for each drill: A floating semi-submersible drilling rig will be used, which is tethered to the seabed using eight anchors and chains. The anchor pattern will typically stretch out radially for a distance of 2 km from the rig. The well location itself includes the wellhead and possibly a Riserless Mud Recovery system (RMR) covering an area of approximately 10 m2.
Drillings dumped on seabed: All drill cuttings will be released on the seabed. The 36" and 17 ½" hole sections will take returns to the seabed and therefore the cuttings will accumulate close to the wellhead. However, if a RMR system is used, the cuttings from the 17 ½" hole section will be recovered to surface then released overboard from the rig.
Vague on what happens to drill fluids: The remainder of the well will be drilled using a riser connected from the wellhead to the rig allowing the drilling fluid and cuttings to be separated at the surface. The cuttings will be released overboard where they will settle on the seabed. Upon completion, the wells will ba abandoned and the wellhead removed.
Sedco 703 semi-submersible rigs: The wells will be drilled using the Sedco 703 semi-submersible drilling rig to depths of up to 5,170 m. The Sedco 703 has been used recently to drill in permit area WA-30-R, which is immediately adjacent to WA- 315-P and WA-398-P.
Third quarter of 2008: Drilling was scheduled to commence in the third quarter of 2008 and continue for a period of approximately 225 days. Individual wells will be production tested if drilling results justify further evaluation. This will involve flowing the well through temporary well testing production equipment with any produced hydrocarbons being flared. The environmental management of these activities will be described in an Environment Plan (EP), to be submitted to the WA Department of Industry and Resources (DoIR)
Loaded from Broome: The drill rig will be supported by up to three supply vessels in the field. These vessels will supply materials loaded out from the base in Broome. A helicopter based in Broome will be used to transfer personnel to and from the drilling rig.
Lombadina pick up: An intermediate pick up and return point located at Lombadina may be used to maximise the available flying hours and payload of the helicopter in the event of inclement weather or other non-routine operations. In this event, personnel will travel between Broome and Lombadina by fixed wing aircraft.
Tidal cycles: Water flows, including rivers, creeks and impoundments Scott Reef experiences a semidiurnal tidal cycle with a spring range of 4.5 m. The tidal regime within the three permit areas is expected to be similar. During the North-west Monsoon season (November-March), the direction of the open ocean current in the region is typically to the east-north-east.
Timor Sea current: This reverses during the south-east trade wind season (April-September), as the Timor Sea current becomes established, flowing from the Banda Sea, through the Timor Sea and into the Indian Ocean. The typical velocity of open ocean currents throughout the year was usually less than 0.5 knots.
Heritage locations: Commonwealth Heritage Places and places on the Register of the National Estate “Scott Reef and Surrounds” is a Listed Place on the Commonwealth Heritage List and registered on the Register of the National Estate (Place ID 105480, Place File Number 9/04/001/0008). This comprises the emergent reefs, the partially enclosed lagoons and the surrounding oceanic waters extending to the 50 m bathymetric contour . "Seringapatam Reef and Surrounds" is listed as a Commonwealth Heritage Place and is registered on the Register of the National Estate (Place ID 17567, Place File Number 9/04/001/0007). Located within permit area WA-315-P, it is a large, emergent shelf atoll located on the edge of the broad continental shelf, about 300 km from mainland north-western Australia.
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