GILSONITE® uintaite classified GREEN in rigorous North Sea environmental standards

March 23, 2021

Gilsonite® uintaite has registered green under the Norwegian HOCNF Color Category System, demonstrating it is environmentally safe for use in the North Sea where there is potential for discharge into the marine environment.

“This registration opens a whole new market since it comes at a time when our customers are looking for environmentally safe alternatives to microplastics, which up until a few years ago were deemed the environmentally safe option,” noted Ghery Sotomayor, Global Account Director at American Gilsonite Company. “Then it was determined that microplastics are in fact entering into marine organisms.”

The HOCNF (Harmonized Offshore Chemical Notification Format) is a mandatory reporting format in all countries that are members of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, or OSPAR. The HOCNF is increasingly used as the most appropriate method to document and control offshore chemicals’ environmental properties.

“The Green classification documents that Gilsonite® uintaite poses no risk to the aquatic environment,” Sotomayer added. “Gilsonite® now can replace any additive that’s a microplastic or black powder, which is also problematic for the environment.”

The HOCNF classification is important beyond the North Sea because many other areas with offshore and deepwater oil and gas operations have adopted the strict North Sea environmental standards.

The OSPAR Convention is the mechanism by which 15 governments and the European Union cooperate to protect the marine environment of the Northeast Atlantic. Member nations include Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Gilsonite® uintaite is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon resin that is non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, non-mutagenic and has been classified as safe by the EPA for use in the Gulf of Mexico. With a unique blend of strength, flexibility, bonding and high-temperature capability, Gilsonite® has proven to increase performance in cementing and drilling fluids for over 60 years. The American Gilsonite Company mines in the Uinta Basin of Northeastern Utah are the only true source of Gilsonite®.

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