Chevron USA Inc. was awarded the 2008 National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) Safety in Seas Award today, recognizing their outstanding contribution to the safety of life offshore for energy workers. Chevron received the award for their Gulf of Mexico Hurricane Restoration Project.


Chevron’s award-winning nomination was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of judges from the US Coast Guard, the US Minerals Management Service (MMS) and the National Academy of Science’s Marine Board. The judges awarded the prestigious honor in recognition of the company’s relentless pursuit of improved processes and tools to safely remove debris and regain access to wellheads.


Immediately prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, industry had limited organizational capability or specialized tools to address subsea toppled wells entangled in structural debris. In many locations, large areas of the mud line soil had to be removed for safe access. Chevron overcame this series of obstacles by developing new processes and tools and carrying them out with an exceptional record of safety.


During the Hurricane Restoration Project, Chevron and its partners logged more than 2.5 million work hours offshore, successfully entering and securing 148 subsea wells and 47 surface leaner wells.


Special attention to safety procedures resulted in only 0.291 recorded incidents per 200,000 hours of work.


NOIA President Tom Fry said, “Chevron’s achievement is exemplary in successfully integrating safety and technological development together in a large-scale recovery effort. We applaud the fact that the Coast Guard, the MMS and the National Academy of Sciences continue to recognize our industry’s achievement, and we congratulate Chevron for its valuable contribution to the enhancement of offshore safety and responsible environmental stewardship.”