TARANAKI AND MĀUI EAD CHECKSHOT SURVEYS Marine Mammal Impact Assessment Prepared for: OMV New Zealand Limited Level 20, The Majestic Centre 100 Willis Street Wellington SLR Ref: 740.10078.01000-R01 Version No: -v2.0 December 2019 OMV New Zealand Limited SLR Ref No: 740.10078.01000-R01-v2.0 OMV Taranaki Checkshot Taranaki and Māui EAD Checkshot Surveys Surveys MMIA 20191211.docx Marine Mammal Impact Assessment December 2019 PREPARED BY SLR Consulting NZ Limited Company Number 2443058 6/A Cambridge Street Richmond, Nelson 7020 New Zealand (PO Box 3032, Richmond 7050 New Zealand) T: +64 274 898 628 E: [email protected] www.slrconsulting.com BASIS OF REPORT This report has been prepared by SLR Consulting NZ Limited (SLR) with all reasonable skill, care and diligence, and taking account of the timescale and resources allocated to it by agreement with OMV New Zealand Limited (the Client). Information reported herein is based on the interpretation of data collected, which has been accepted in good faith as being accurate and valid. This report is for the exclusive use of the Client. No warranties or guarantees are expressed or should be inferred by any third parties. This report may not be relied upon by other parties without written consent from SLR. SLR disclaims any responsibility to the Client and others in respect of any matters outside the agreed scope of the work. DOCUMENT CONTROL Reference Date Prepared Checked Authorised 740.10078.01000-R01-v2.0 11 December 2019 SLR Consulting NZ Ltd 740.10078.01000-R01-v2.0 5 December 2019 SLR Consulting NZ Ltd 740.10078.01000-R01-v1.0 29 October 2019 SLR Consulting NZ Ltd Page 2 OMV New Zealand Limited SLR Ref No: 740.10078.01000-R01-v2.0 OMV Taranaki Checkshot Taranaki and Māui EAD Checkshot Surveys Surveys MMIA 20191211.docx Marine Mammal Impact Assessment December 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OMV New Zealand Limited (OMV New Zealand) has been granted regulatory approval to commence the Taranaki Exploration and Appraisal Drilling (EAD) Programme within the Taranaki Basin, which is proposed to commence in November 2019. Additionally, OMV Taranaki Limited (OTL) is in the final stages of regulatory approval for the Māui EAD Programme, and it is intended that the EAD Programme will commence in the Māui Field from Q1, 2020. OMV New Zealand and OTL are subsidiary companies of the OMV Group, and for the purpose of this application will be collectively referred to as OMV. The purpose of the EAD Programmes is to determine the presence of hydrocarbons within a number of identified subsurface geological structures and to investigate the potential for future development of discovered hydrocarbons within OMV’s permit areas in the Taranaki Basin. Checkshot surveys may be undertaken in the event that hydrocarbon accumulations are discovered in the Taranaki and Māui EAD Programmes (Taranaki Checkshot Surveys). In the event that no hydrocarbon accumulations are discovered, no checkshot survey is likely to be required; however, that is not known until each well has been drilled and appropriate formation evaluation has been undertaken. The objective of the Taranaki Checkshot Surveys is to ascertain further information about the velocity characteristics of the strata penetrated by the wellbore, in order to accurately translate between sonic/density properties measured within each well and acoustic data from seismic surveys recorded in the vicinity of each well. Under the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects - Permitted Activities) Regulations (Permitted Activities Regulations), seismic operations in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) must comply with the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) 2013 Code for Conduct for Minimising Acoustic Disturbance to Marine Mammals from Seismic Survey Operations (Code of Conduct). Under the Code of Conduct, a Marine Mammal Impact Assessment (MMIA) is required in order to describe the proposed seismic operations, provide a description of the baseline environment, identify any potential environmental effects from the seismic operations, and to specify any proposed mitigation measures to minimise environmental effects. Where seismic activities are undertaken within an Area of Ecological Importance, sound transmission loss modelling is also required. The initial three wells planned in the Taranaki and Māui EAD Programmes are Gladstone-1 (within PEP 57075), Toutouwai-1 (within PEP 60093), and Māui-8 (within PML 381012). Three Operational Areas have been identified around these three well locations for the purpose of the MMIA for the Taranaki and Māui EAD Programmes. Supplementary MMIAs will be submitted if additional wells are required in these EAD Programmes, specific to the characteristics of those locations. An Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) process has been utilised within this MMIA to assess the significance of any predicted effects on biological, socio- economic, and cultural environments of relevance to the three Operational Areas. Stakeholder engagement has been carried out by OMV as part of their wider Taranaki and Māui EAD Programmes and Cultural Advisory Groups. Page 3 OMV New Zealand Limited SLR Ref No: 740.10078.01000-R01-v2.0 OMV Taranaki Checkshot Taranaki and Māui EAD Checkshot Surveys Surveys MMIA 20191211.docx Marine Mammal Impact Assessment December 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Utilising data within DOC’s stranding and sighting database, OMV’s knowledge from working in the Taranaki Basin and previous seismic surveys acquired in the Taranaki Basin, and knowledge of migration paths and habitat preferences of each marine mammal species (obtained from published scientific literature), the following marine mammals are likely to be present within the Operational Areas: Antarctic minke whale, bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, Cuvier’s beaked whale, dusky dolphin, dwarf minke whale, false killer whale, Gray’s beaked whale, killer whale, long-finned pilot whale, pygmy blue whale, pygmy sperm whale, sperm whale, and New Zealand fur seals. Andrew’s beaked whale, Bryde’s whale, Hector’s dolphin, Māui’s dolphin, pygmy right whale, Shepherd’s beaked whale, southern bottlenose whale, southern right whale, spectacled porpoise, and strap- toothed whale are considered to have a possible presence within the Operational Areas. OMV’s proposed checkshot surveys fall within the classification of a Level 1 marine seismic survey due to the source volume (i.e. > 427 in3). Compliance with the Code of Conduct for a Level 1 marine seismic survey is the primary mitigation measure that OMV will employ during the Taranaki Checkshot Surveys. The full protocol of operational procedures and control measures that will be followed during the Taranaki Checkshot Surveys is detailed within the Marine Mammal Mitigation Plan (MMMP, Appendix D) which will provide a working document during the checkshot surveys. The following specific actions are particularly important with regard to operating in accordance with the Code of Conduct: • Where available, two qualified Marine Mammal Observers (MMO) and two qualified Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) Observers will be present for the duration of the Taranaki Checkshot Survey. In the event that two qualified MMOs or PAM Operators are unable to be engaged, the Code of Conduct provides for a qualified observer to act in a supervisor/mentor role to a trained observer; • The MMOs will be present onboard the MODU, and the PAM Operators will be present onboard a support vessel, to visually and acoustically detect for the presence of any marine mammals prior to the commencement of the checkshot surveys and for the duration of the surveys. Due to the noise interference from the actively-operating Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU), PAM (Appendix B) will be deployed from the support vessel, which will circle the MODU within a radius of approximately 1 km; • Seismic operations will be delayed if marine mammals are detected within the relevant mitigation zones as defined in the Code of Conduct; • The power of the acoustic source will be gradually increased during a ‘soft start’ over a period of 20 minutes prior to any seismic operations to ensure any undetected marine mammals have an opportunity to leave the area before full operational power is reached; and • The acoustic source will be shut down if a marine mammal enters the defined mitigation zones. Sound Transmission Loss Modelling (STLM, Appendix A) has been used to verify the sound thresholds for the standard mitigation zones specified within the Code of Conduct. The short-range modelling prediction demonstrates that for all three proposed well locations, the maximum received Sound Exposure Level (SEL) is predicted to comply with the limits of 186 dB re 1µPa2·s at 200 m, and 171 dB re 1µPa2·s at 1.0 km and 1.5 km. This MMIA identifies the potential environmental effects from the Taranaki Checkshot Surveys and describes the mitigation measures that will be implemented so that any potential effects are reduced to a level that is as low as reasonably practicable. While the focus of this MMIA is on marine mammals, potential effects on other environmental and socio-economic receptors have also been considered. Page 4 OMV New Zealand Limited SLR Ref No: 740.10078.01000-R01-v2.0 OMV Taranaki Checkshot Taranaki and Māui EAD Checkshot Surveys Surveys MMIA 20191211.docx Marine Mammal Impact Assessment December 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Overall, the predicted effects of the Taranaki Checkshot Surveys are considered to be sufficiently managed by the proposed mitigation measures, predominantly compliance with the Code of Conduct. Due to the small volume acoustic source that will be utilised during each survey, behavioural effects on marine mammals will be restricted to within 200 m of the acoustic source, as demonstrated by STLM. The STLM results have confirmed that the proposed Taranaki Checkshot Survey is compliant with the requirements stipulated for SEL thresholds within the Code of Conduct. Discharges associated with the MODU and support vessel, the presence of these vessels within each Operational Area, and the potential for interactions with other marine users have been covered under the appropriate Marine Consents for the Taranaki and Māui EAD Programmes.