A recent ban in offshore drilling licenses in Arctic waters could mean new opportunity for Scout Exploration Inc. Scout’s air-deployed spill response system – capable of reaching distant offshore spills more rapidly than current methods could be a part of a balanced approach toward responsible offshore development, operation and advancing environmental protection.
Greenland, along with Alaska and Russia, has been at the forefront of oil company hopes to uncover an estimated 25% of the world’s remaining oil and gas reserves lying under and around the Arctic ocean.
The Scout airborne system deploys from standard military, civilian, and coast guard aircraft to reach remote offshore spills hours or days before current ship-borne methods. As a result, operators can begin containment sooner, and limit the scale of spills and corollary environmental and economic damage.
“Countries such as Greenland have acute concerns over offshore drilling. Delivery of a rapid response spill mitigation technology like Scout’s could address some of those concerns,” says Rene Lange, project lead engineer. “The big question now is whether other governments will follow Greenland’s lead.”
Scout has been working in cooperation with industry and government to advance its unmanned, remote, air-deployed spill response system to advance the project through prototype to initial sea trials.
Source: Press Release