Greenpeace won a court case in which it requested an authorized technical expert to go on one of the oil and gas platforms operated (Pescăruș platform) by OMV Petrom in the Black Sea to verify if safety standards are being met.
The Sector 1 Bucharest Court has ordered an expertise to be carried out regarding the offshore facilities, focused on their structural, mechanical, and production safety. The decision is enforceable and cannot be appealed, Greenpeace specifies in a statement sent to Spotmedia.ro on Wednesday.
The court's intervention comes following the discovery of issues at the oil and gas platforms operated by OMV Petrom.
Photos and documents provided by an anonymous source in February 2024 show that at least one platform is in an advanced state of degradation, with damaged support pillars, visible cracks, and extensive corroded surfaces posing an immediate risk of major hazards in offshore activities, the cited source adds.
These issues have been reported to authorities and OMV Petrom since the beginning of 2024, but nothing has been done.
"The advanced state of degradation of offshore oil and gas platforms poses a major threat to the safety of employees, the surrounding environment, and the species in the Black Sea and the Danube Delta.
OMV Petrom intends to start a new exploitation in the Neptun Deep perimeter, which becomes even more concerning considering the current state of their platforms. The company's problematic history raises many questions about their ability to carry out offshore projects safely.
According to the legislation, such a history should lead to the withdrawal of the operating license. It is essential to prioritize safety over the financial interests of major fossil fuel corporations," stated Alin Tănase, campaigns coordinator at Greenpeace Romania, quoted in the press release.
Greenpeace has also alerted the European Commission to the issues with OMV Petrom's platforms in the Black Sea. The complaint addresses both the corporation's inability to maintain infrastructure integrity and prevent major accidents, as well as the lack of firm actions from ACROPO in overseeing and inspecting the platforms.
These neglects raise serious concerns about the correct application of offshore safety standards," adds the cited source.
In November 2024, Greenpeace won another case in which Bucharest Tribunal obliges the Dobrogea Litoral Water Basin Administration and the "Grigore Antipa" Institute to communicate the ecotoxicity studies that formed the basis of the Integrated Environmental Report for the Neptun Deep project.