File Note - Regia MSS EP - Decision Rationale - February 2026

Written by Claude Haiku 4.5 from the extracted text on 16 May 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

NOPSEMA has refused to accept the environment plan (EP) for CGG Services (Australia) Pty Ltd's Regia Marine Seismic Survey. The refusal decision, documented in a February 2026 file note, identifies five fundamental regulatory failures preventing acceptance under the Environment Regulations 2023. The principal deficiencies include: inadequate demonstration that underwater noise impacts will be acceptable given unaddressed uncertainty in impact predictions; failure to demonstrate consistency with the Blue Whale Conservation Management Plan; inability to show fish and invertebrate impacts will be acceptable due to unachievable or inconsistent thresholds; insufficient environmental performance outcomes; and inadequate consultation measures. This decision follows a protracted assessment process spanning nearly two years, including two opportunities to modify and resubmit (issued February and June 2025) after the titleholder's initial EP submission in January 2024. A detailed assessment report (A1096104) provides further technical findings supporting the refusal.