Legislation of Onshore and Offshore Oil Drilling Company

The Oil UK company is aware of the legislation in the UK and the EU. There are rules to produce oil on both offshore and onshore locations. So much so, legislation is laws that have put into place to support workers in all industries, not only that they are put into place to protect the environments and the animals. The Petroleum Act 1998 is essential in the oil industry, and this is because oil companies must have certain licenses to show that you have the authority to explore and produce oil. Petroleum belongs to Her majesty who can find and locate petroleum on both onshore and offshore locations. It is not up to oil companies to choose which region they choose to drill oil out however the governments in the UK and the EU are responsible for choosing where oil companies can go and search for oil.

In order for an oil company to extract oil on offshore locations, they must be able to have an offshore innovate license which shows that oil companies have the permission to conduct ‘geotechnical studies and geophysical data’, also be able to do seismic studies along with data and finally to be able to carry out the drilling process. The offshore innovate license is crucial and one of the main important licenses and the person who is applying for the license must complete a program and will then be accepted ‘Secretary of State.’ As well as this, exploration licenses are compulsory as they allow seismic contractors and geologists to go to offshore and onshore locations to be able to explore and see if there is oil underneath the impermeable rock. There are many regulatory rules set in place and this to increase the discovery of oil in the UK, to be able to avoid environmental damage, to be able to carry out health and environmental rules and this binds with the ‘The Offshore Petroleum Licensing Regulations 2015’. This was firstly introduced in the UK to stop accidents from occurring on offshore locations and this protects all the oil workers as well as the marine life.

As well as this, when the offshore license has been issued to the oil company, the operator will write to the licensing authority and arrange an appointment. If the licensing authority agrees with the date and time of the appointment, they will write back to confirm the date and time. Moreover, the person from the licensing authority will determine who the operator is, information about the offshore petroleum and the day which the person from the licensing authority visited. The person is in control of seeing if the operator is competent to carry out ‘The Offshore Petroleum Licensing Regulations 2015’ however if they are not able to meet the requirements then the operator must get in touch with the licensing authority. Therefore, if the operator shows that they are not able to meet the requirements, the appointment will be cancelled, a ‘termination notice’ will be given to the operator. The ‘termination notice’ consists of the day the termination was issued, the date of when it was terminated and that the license is for offshore locations. However, if the licensing authority wishes not to attend, they explain as why they are not coming. The person who wishes to become an operator is responsible for any accidents that occur in the oil company.

Licenses have been put to lower greenhouse gas emissions which will be beneficial to the environment, it also makes sure that workers avoid oil spills and to stop any natural gas from being released to the environment. On onshore locations, there must be a licensed displayed to show that the operator has the ability and knowledge to extract oil safely and making sure workers are working in safe conditions. Many legislations have been put into place to avoid harmful accidents and theses laws contain stern rules that all oil companies must abide by. The Oil UK company choose to drill oil from a UK location, the operator must specify whether it is an offshore or onshore location, then they will receive a license after completing a program. Before the drilling process is confirmed, the operator must decide which location they choose to drill and whether it is safe to do so. Then, they evaluate how long the drilling process takes and where they will begin drilling. There are many layers beneath an oil well, and the operator must use the geologist statistics and data to assess if there will be a present of oil underneath. The drilling team will then begin to drill through in one place which will break through the impermeable rock, then travel to the gas and oil. In addition to this, the operator must be aware of the risks that could occur whilst drill the oil well and the operator must make sure that the drilling team knows what to do if a hazard happens. This ensures that all workers are safe and working effectively without any major accidents.