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.