ST. JOHN’S — The agency that oversees Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore energy sector says a recent oil spill and gas leak aboard the Hibernia oil platform could have caused a deadly explosion and fire.

The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Energy Regulator says the spill on May 12 was contained on the platform, but it was classified as a major hydrocarbon release based on the amount that leaked from a damaged piece of equipment.

No one was injured and none of the 1,600 litres of spilled crude seeped into the ocean.

The regulator says Hibernia personnel were preparing to pump crude onto a tanker when they noticed unusual noises coming from the platform’s utility shaft, where a drain on a sludge pump had been sheared off, releasing crude oil.

At that point, gas was also detected, but the crude discharge was stopped when a worker closed a manual valve on the broken pump.

The independent regulator says it has requested more information from the Hibernia Management and Development Company, which operates the platform and manages the oilfield about 315 kilometres east of St. John’s.

Meanwhile, the company is conducting an investigation and on May 27 submitted to the regulator its findings from a preliminary investigation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2026.

The Canadian Press