A fire broke out on the Terra Nova Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessel (FPSO), operating offshore Newfoundland and Labrador, on Thursday (October 1), due to the creation of an arc in an electrical circuit. Also, methanol was accidentaly released a day earlier to the sea from subsea equipment from a subsea drill center in the Terra Nova field.
As for the fire, Suncor Energy, the operator of the Terra Nova field, reported that the Terra Nova FPSO entered into alarm status due to flame detection, Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador offshore petroleum board (C-NLOPB) announced on Friday.
According to C-NLOPB, it was determined upon investigation that a small flame became visible on the insulation blanket for the lower medium pressure turret swivel due to the creation of an arc in an electrical circuit. The flame was extinguished and the circuit was isolated.
There were no injuries associated with this incident and Suncor is conducting an internal investigation, C-NLOPB has said.
Unauthorised methanol leak
In addition, Suncor Energy has reported an unauthorized discharge of methanol from subsea equipment from a subsea drill center in the Terra Nova field. As said in the C-NLOPB’s announcement, the release occurred on September 30, 2015. Suncor estimates that 3000L of methanol was released to the sea during the incident.
Methanol pumping was stopped once a potential leak was detected, and a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) identified a subsea methanol line as the source of the leak.
The C-NLOPB added it was reviewing the incident and Suncor was continuing its investigation.
The Terra Nova FPSO is 292.2 meters long and 45.5 meters wide, approximately the size of three football fields laid end to end. From the keel to the helideck, it stands more than 18 stories high. The Terra Nova FPSO can store 960,000 barrels of oil and accommodate up to 120 personnel while producing.
The Terra Nova Oil Field is situated on the Grand Banks, about 350 kilometers east-southeast of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and 35 kilometers southeast of the Hibernia Oil Field. The Terra Nova field is comprised of a combination of producing wells, as well as water injection and gas injection wells, and delivers production from the Graben, East Flank and Far East blocks.
Offshore Energy Today Staff
[mappress mapid=”2722″]