Drilling fluid released from Hilcorp platform

Two gallons of oil-based drilling fluid spilled into Cook Inlet during a drilling operation aboard Hilcorp’s Steelhead Platform on Monday after a burst hose on the drill rig released two hundred gallons of the fluid into the platform.

The drilling fluid — also known as drilling mud — was 85 percent diesel and mineral oil, according to Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation public information officer Candice Bressler. Bressler wrote in an email that DEC has requested a safety data sheet about the fluid, and was unable to say whether its other components are hazardous. 180 gallons of the substance were contained on the rig deck, while 18 gallons ended up in the platform’s drill deck and heliport, Bressler wrote.

Hilcorp was required to report the release to DEC because the substance was oil-based, Bressler wrote, which Hilcorp did after the release occurred on Monday. She wrote that DEC officials spoke with a Hilcorp representative by phone and “determined a site visit and additional cleanup efforts were not needed” and did not issue a public notice of the incident because “there was no threat to public safety.”

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Hilcorp spokesperson Lori Nelson wrote that technicians from the non-profit oil spill organization Cook Inlet Spill Response and Prevention, Inc (CISPRI) responded to the incident and that “clean up efforts are completed and all necessary repairs and inspections were done before returning to normal operations.”

The Steelhead platform — located in the offshore Trading Bay oil field, north of west Cook Inlet’s Kustaten Peninsula — is among the fifteen Cook Inlet platforms that Hilcorp owns, and one of the newest, having been built in 1986, according to an information sheet from Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council.

More in News

Natural gas processing equipment is seen at Furie Operating Alaska’s central processing facility in Nikiski, Alaska, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Glenfarne takes majority stake of Alaska LNG Project, will lead development

The Alaska Gasline Development Corporation announced Thursday they had reached an agreement with the New York-based company.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Soldotna man charged with possession, distribution of child sex abuse material

The man allegedly uploaded child sex abuse material to a messaging app.

Homer Flex graduates listen to senior Wyatt Counts present his speech to the audience, thanking family, friends and Homer Flex staff at the Homer Flex High School commencement ceremony on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at Land’s End Resort in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
School board says no cuts to Homer Flex

The KPBSD Finance Committee on Tuesday recommended not making reductions to or closing Homer Flex High School at this time.

John Raymond accepts his tenth place trophy during the 2025 Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at the Deep Water Dock on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Weimann wins fishing tournament championship

The 31st annual Homer Winter King Tournament saw high turnout Saturday.

The Naushon sits in the Homer Harbor during its decommissioning ceremony on Friday, March 21, 2025, on Freight Dock Road on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)
Former USCG cutter Naushon decommissioned in Homer

A ceremony in its honor was held Friday, March 21.

Students smile from atop a mountain peak while engaged in KMTA’s Pathfinders program. The program fosters environmental literacy and lifelong learning using an experiential, inquiry-based teaching model and helps expose students to the rich histories, environments and recreation opportunities available in the KMTA. (Photo courtesy of KMTA)
Kenai Peninsula heritage area faces uncertain future

Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area is known for its expansive program offerings for Alaska youth.

Students and hosts stand for a photo during a luncheon at the end of SoHi’s first Job Shadow Day, Wednesday at Soldotna Prep School. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna High launches 1st Job Shadow Day

SoHi students spread across community on Wednesday to try out professions.

Most Read