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 said Friday the spill on May 12, 2026 was contained on the platform, but 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.

Regulator says Hibernia oil spill posed threat of blast and fire