DRAFT-Environmental Impact Assessment Addendum

123 Pages·2016·3.48 MB·English

DRAFT-Environmental Impact
Assessment Addendum

GuyanaSPAN2 Seismic Survey

GX Technology, Inc.

September 2016
www.erm.com

The business of sustainability
GX Technology, Inc.
DRAFT-Environmental Impact
Assessment Addendum
GuyanaSPAN2 Seismic Survey
September 2016

ERM Project No. 0356831

DRAFT
Charles Schalkwyk
Partner-in-Charge

DRAFT
Isolina Sánchez
Project Manager

Environmental Resources Management
One Beacon Street, 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02108
T: 617-646-7800
F: 617-267-6447
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 BACKGROUND 1
2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 2
2.1 SITE LOCATION AND TIMING 2
2.2 SURVEY OPERATIONS 2
3.0 SCOPING PROCESS 6
4.0 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK 8
4.1 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS 8
4.2 INTERNATIONAL 10
5.0 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING ENVIRONMENT 12
5.1 WEATHER AND CLIMATE 13
5.2 AIR QUALITY 14
5.3 ECOSYSTEMS AND HABITATS 15
5.4 FLORA 15
5.4.1 Plankton 15
5.4.2 Seagrass 16
5.4.3 Mangroves 17
5.5 FAUNA 19
5.5.1 Coral Reefs 19
5.5.2 Macrobenthos 20
5.5.3 Fish 20
5.5.4 Marine Turtles 22
5.5.5 Marine Mammals 27
5.5.6 Marine Birds 31
5.6 PROTECTED AREAS 35
5.7 COASTAL GEOLOGY AND GEOMORPHOLOGY 38
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5.8 OCEANOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS 39
5.8.1 Currents and Tides 39
5.9 SOCIOECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT 42
5.9.1 Demography 43
5.9.2 Economy 43
5.9.3 Fisheries 44
5.9.4 Tourism 53
5.9.5 Marine Navigation Routes 54
6.0 ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACTS 56
6.1 WEATHER AND CLIMATE 56
6.2 AIR QUALITY 56
6.3 ECOSYSTEMS AND HABITATS 57
6.4 FLORA 58
6.4.1 Plankton 58
6.4.2 Seagrass 58
6.4.3 Mangroves 58
6.5 FAUNA 58
6.5.1 Macrobenthos 58
6.5.2 Fish 58
6.5.3 Marine Turtles 59
6.5.4 Marine Mammals 59
6.5.5 Marine Birds 60
6.6 PROTECTED AREAS 60
6.7 COASTAL GEOLOGY AND GEOMORPHOLOGY 60
6.8 OCENOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS 61
6.9 SOCIOECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT 61
6.9.1 Fisheries 61
6.9.2 Socioeconomics 62
6.9.3 Tourism 62
6.9.4 Marine Navigation Routes 62
6.10 NON ROUTINE EVENTS 62
6.10.1 Inappropriate Waste Management 63
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6.10.2 Leaks and Spills 63
6.10.3 Vessel Collision 66
6.10.4 Fire Explosion 66
6.11 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS 67
7.0 ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 69
7.1 FRAMEWORK 69
7.1.1 Structure and Responsibility 69
7.1.2 Training, Awareness and Competence 69
7.1.3 Communication 70
7.2 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN DOCUMENTATION 70
7.2.1 Document Control 70
7.2.2 Operational Control 70
7.2.3 Audit Protocol, Monitoring and Measurement 70
7.2.4 Non-conformance and Corrective and Preventative Action 71
7.2.5 Records 71
7.2.6 Management Review 71
7.3 SPECIFIC MEASURES 72
7.3.1 Protection of Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles 72
7.3.2 Protection of Fishing Communities 73
7.3.3 Fuel Storage and Handling 73
7.3.4 Waste Management 73
7.3.5 Personnel Training 73
7.3.6 Marine Traffic 73
7.3.7 Public Engagement/Community Relations 73
7.3.8 Spill Emergency Response 74
8.0 STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION 75
8.1 STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS 75
8.2 PUBLIC REVIEW 76
9.0 SUMMARY OF IMPACTS 77
10.0 LITERATURE AND REFERENCES CITED 81

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 2-1: Total Acquisition Area and Sail Line Length, 2013 and 2016
Table 3-1: Stakeholders Invited to the Stakeholder Engagement/Scoping Meeting
Table 4-1: National Laws and their Relevance to the Project
Table 4-2: International Conventions and their Relevance to the Project
Table 5-1: Range of Temperatures in Paramaribo
Table 5-2: Suriname Fish Community Statistics – Zones
Table 5-3: Suriname Fish Community Statistics - Uses
Table 5-4: Suriname Fish List
Table 5-5: Turtle Species and IUCN Designation
Table 5-6: Estimated Leatherback Turtle Nesting Counts
Table 5-7: Marine Mammals Listed Occurring in Suriname Waters
Table 5-8: Total Effort and Associated Number of Sightings
Table 5-9: List of Threatened/Vulnerable Bird Species Known to be Present in
Suriname
Table 5-10: Suriname Protected Areas and IUCN Classification
Table 5-11: Suriname Overview
Table 5-12: Classification of Fishing Fleets Operating in Suriname
Table 5-13: Suriname Fisheries Techniques
Table 5-14: Surinamese Seafood Production (tons)
Table 9-1: Potential Impacts and Mitigation Measures

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2-1: Proposed Acquisition Area
Figure 5-1: Map of Suriname
Figure 5-2: Annual Rainfall and Temperature Average Paramaribo
Figure 5-3: Surinamese Waters. SeaWiFS Chlorophyll Concentration Image
Figure 5-4: Mangrove Distribution along the Surinamese Coast
Figure 5-5: Common Nesting Beaches of Eastern Suriname
Figure 5-6: Real Time Tracking of Turtles Sea Turtle Conservancy
Figure 5-7: Large Cetacean and Delphinids Recorded During Aerial Survey
Figure 5-8: Estimated Marine Bird Counts from Ridoux’s 2010 Aerial Survey
Figure 5-9: Location of Existing and Proposed Protected Areas
Figure 5-10: Guiana Current in Winter (January - March) According to the Mariano
Global Surface Velocity Analysis (MGSVA) Model. HYCOM Consortium
(2003)
Figure 5-11: Guiana Current in Spring (April - June) According to the Mariano Global
Surface Velocity Analysis (MGSVA) Model. HYCOM Consortium (2003)
Figure 5-12: Surinamese Fishery Production
Figure 5-13: Location of Suriname Ports
Figure 8-1: Newspaper Advertisement of Public Meeting
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix A Summary of Stakeholder Engagement/Scoping Meeting August 10, 2016
Appendix B EIA/EMP Team Curricula Vitae

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
In 2013 GX Technology, Inc. (GXT), a subsidiary of ION, submitted an
Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management Plan
for a two dimensional (2D) seismic survey offshore Suriname. The
Nationaal Instituut voor Milieu en Ontwikkeling in Suriname (National
Institute for Environment and Development in Suriname, or NIMOS)
granted a permit to GXT to execute the survey and it was completed in
early 2013.
GXT now proposes to undertake an additional, comparatively minor 2D
seismic survey adjacent to the original survey acquisition area (see Section
2.0) in December 2016 (referred to hereafter as the Project) and has
contracted the consulting firm ERM (see Section 4.1) to assist in preparing
the necessary environmental permits and documentation required to
complete the Project. Based on guidance received by GXT from NIMOS in
early June 2016, an addendum to the EIA submitted in 2013 will be
required to support a permit for the currently proposed survey. A scoping
report and Terms of Reference must be submitted to NIMOS, and
stakeholders must be consulted prior to preparation of the EIA
addendum.
The objectives of this combined Scoping Report and Terms of Reference
(ToR) are to:
1. Describe the Project, especially the differences between the 2013 survey
and the 2016 proposal;
2. Document key issues and concerns as assessed by stakeholders in 2013
when the initial survey was assessed and permitted;
3. Provide an overview of the regulatory context relevant to the Project;
and
4. Summarize ERM’s proposed approach to the EIA addendum.
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2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION
2.1 SITE LOCATION AND TIMING
GXT proposes to conduct the Project in conjunction with another 2D
seismic survey proposed offshore Guyana in December 2016. The purpose
of the Project is to connect the area that was originally surveyed offshore
Suriname in 2013 with the new acquisition area offshore Guyana.
The currently proposed acquisition area and total sail line length is much
smaller than what was completed in 2013. Table 2-1 provides total area
and total survey line length for 2013 and 2016. The currently proposed
acquisition area and proposed sail lines are depicted in Figure 2-1.
Table 2-1: Total Acquisition Area and Sail Line Length, 2013 and 2016
2013 2016 % Difference
Total acquisition 89,650 km2 15,740 km2 -82.4%
area
Total sail line 6,000 km 504 km -91.8%
length
The duration of the 2016 survey is also anticipated to be much shorter
than the survey in 2013. Operations in Suriname’s territorial waters
associated with the Project are proposed to begin in December 2016 and
are expected to take approximately five working days to complete that
will be spaced over a 90-day period, including turns and line changes. The
2013 survey took approximately 2.5 months, from late January to mid-
April.
2.2 SURVEY OPERATIONS
The Project will consist of five stages: mobilization of the vessels to the
survey area, deployment of the towed equipment, data acquisition,
retrieval of the equipment, and demobilization.
Mobilization: The seismic vessel and chase vessel(s) are expected to
mobilize from the Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago in December
2016. The vessel will have all equipment and supplies required for the
duration of the survey onboard at the time of departure. The chase vessels
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ERM DRAFT – SEPTEMBER 2016
will mobilize from Port of Spain simultaneously and accompany the
seismic vessel for the duration of the marine seismic survey.
Deployment of the towed equipment: Deployment of the towed seismic array
will consist of placing both the source array and streamer in the water
behind the seismic vessel. The array and streamer will be stored on
hydraulic winches. The arrays will be placed in the water behind the ship
with the use of a winch. The seismic vessel will use prevailing wind and
currents to assist in the deployment of the towed equipment. The
deployment process is not expected to take more than 1 day.
Data acquisition: During data acquisition, the seismic vessel will follow
predetermined survey lines within the survey area. The distance between
the survey lines may vary across the acquisition area, but will average
approximately 66 nautical miles.
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