Helix Well Containment Group Significantly Expands Deepwater Capabilities

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Helix Well Containment Group (HWCG) announced today that it is now capable to respond to a subsea well containment incident in water depths of up to 10,000 feet.

“Combining ultra-deep water depth capability with a 15,000 pounds per square inch-gauge (psig) intervention capping stack, the HWCG consortium has the technology, expertise and resources of a diverse group of companies to respond immediately in the unlikely event that a deepwater well’s blowout preventer fails to operate as designed”

The consortium previously announced its intention to achieve this milestone by mid-summer, and has achieved this ahead of schedule. Previously, it had capabilities to operate in water depths of up to 8,000 feet.

HWCG is a consortium of 24 deepwater operators in the Gulf of Mexico that have come together with the common goal of expanding capabilities to quickly and comprehensively respond to subsea well incidents to protect employees, communities and the environment.

“Combining ultra-deep water depth capability with a 15,000 pounds per square inch-gauge (psig) intervention capping stack, the HWCG consortium has the technology, expertise and resources of a diverse group of companies to respond immediately in the unlikely event that a deepwater well’s blowout preventer fails to operate as designed,” said David Coatney, HWCG’s Managing Director.

Coatney was recently named HWCG Managing Director in May. He has more than 35 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, both in the United States and overseas. In previous roles, Coatney has served as an international upstream oil and gas asset consultant, Vice President of Production for Swift Energy and in various management and engineering capacities for Marathon Oil Company, where he worked for 29 years.

Coatney has been integrally involved in emergency preparedness and response for more than 20 years. He has acted as an Incident Commander—both domestically and abroad—and has led many successful responses in operational, natural disaster, well control and civil unrest incidents.

“Dave’s combined expertise in drilling, production, offshore operations and incident response will be a strong asset to HWCG,” said John Weust, HWCG’s Steering Committee Chair. “I am confident he will play a significant and positive role in the ongoing operations of HWCG, in addition to enhancing the group’s position in responding to the future needs of the industry.”

Coatney holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana State University. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the American Petroleum Institute and the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators.

About Helix Well Containment Group

The Helix Well Containment Group (HWCG) is a consortium of 24 deepwater operators in the Gulf of Mexico who have come together with the common goal of expanding capabilities to quickly and comprehensively respond to a subsea spill to protect employees, communities and the environment. Bringing together the technical expertise and resources from this diverse group of operators, and building upon equipment tested and proven in the Deepwater Horizon response, the HWCG has developed a deepwater well-containment response system capable of being immediately deployed in the event of a deepwater spill. Each HWCG member company has committed to a mutual aid agreement, allowing any member to draw upon the collective technical expertise, assets and resources of the group in the event of an incident. For more information visit: http://www.hwcg.org/.

HWCG Members

HWCG is made up of a diverse and experienced group of deepwater operators, representing two-thirds of the deepwater operators in the Gulf of Mexico and approximately half of all deepwater oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico.

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation • Apache Deepwater LLC • ATP Oil & Gas Corporation • BHP Billiton (Americas), Inc.
Century Exploration New Orleans, Inc. • Cobalt International Energy, LP • Deep Gulf Energy, LP (Deep Gulf Energy II LLC)
ENI U.S. Operating Company • Energy Resource Technology GOM Inc. • Hess Corporation
LLOG Exploration Company, LLC • Marathon Oil Company • Marubeni Oil & Gas (USA) Inc.
Murphy Exploration & Production Company – USA • Newfield Exploration Company • Nexen Petroleum USA Inc.
Noble Energy, Inc. • Plains Exploration & Production Company • Repsol E&P USA Inc.
Statoil Gulf of Mexico LLC (Statoil USA E&P, Inc.) • Stone Energy Corporation • Walter Oil & Gas Corporation
Woodside Energy (USA), Inc. • W&T Offshore, Inc. (W & T Energy VI, LLC)