OFFSHORE energy regulator NOPSEMA is reporting an increased number of incidents involving fauna becoming tangled in subsea equipment.
In a notice on its website NOPSEMA said during a subsea survey, the operator of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) noticed a shark caught in a pre-existing rope loop attached to an electrical flying lead (EFL).
“Fortunately, the shark was alive when found, and the rope was able to be cut using an ROV knife, allowing the shark to swim away,” the report said.
“No additional harm was caused while releasing the shark.”
The latest incident has prompted an environmental alert which NOPSEMA said could present a common risk for other submerged equipment activities.
“It is common industry practice during installation of some subsea equipment (such as EFLs and concrete mattresses) to affix rope loops or other installation aids to equipment to enable ROVs to manoeuvre the equipment into position, minimise the risk of damage to the equipment, and/or assist with later removal.
“NOPSEMA is also aware that other adverse fauna-equipment interactions have occurred in the industry, including interactions directly with ROVs; and that these have been inconsistently reported or not reported to the regulator.
“If installation aids are not removed, cut, or otherwise made safe (e.g. by design), they can present a risk of entanglement to marine fauna, including species protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
“While in this incident the shark was released safely, it is considered likely that a similar incident could result in serious injury (as an animal attempts to free itself) or death to the animal.”
The report said it is the responsibility of the titleholder to ensure that environmental impacts and risks of petroleum activities continue to be identified and reduced to a level that is as low as reasonably practicable.
