In the aftermath of yet another oil spill at Clifton, and in response to news of imminent publication of new regulations and legislation governing oil exploration, Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC) chief Simon Potter said the Clifton spill is a distinctly different type of problem than might exist for oil exploration such as that which BPC would do. He pointed out that the company's environmental mitigation plan (EMP) in the event of a spill has been in place for years.
Potter told Guardian Business on Wednesday that the difference between what has happened at Clifton and BPC's operation come down to four points: location, technology, capabilities and support.
On location, he pointed out that the closest land to BPC's preferred site for an exploratory well is Cuba, 80 miles away from Cay Sal and 50 miles from Andros.
The technology BPC would bring to bear would be "completely up to date", he said.
He said the BPC operation's capabilities would center on a state-of-the-art oil rig and associated vessels. There would be constant monitoring by a large complement of highly trained professionals.
And, as for support, Potter pointed out that BPC is part of the Oil Spill Response Limited group.
"[That means] we have $10 million worth of equipment available for our use within 24 hours," he said.
Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) is an industry-owned cooperative which exists to respond effectively to oil spills around the world.
"The two operations are completely [different]," Potter said.

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