Norwegian offshore safety body, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), has recently audited Total E&P Norge, a subsidiary of French major Total, regarding its drilling activities using the Maersk Gallant jack-up drilling rig.
PSA said on Thursday that the audit concerning pressure-balanced drilling on the Maersk Gallant was done from May 18-20.
The objective of the audit, according to the PSA, was to verify the companies’ safeguarding of governing documents, operational management and technical solutions ensuing from the use of pressure-balanced drilling equipment and new solutions for well control and blowout prevention.
The audit results revealed no non-conformities but identified several improvement points regarding competence, the maintenance system, and technical conditions.
Total has been given until August 1, 2016, to report to the PSA on how the improvement points will be dealt.
The Maersk Gallant, owned by offshore drilling contractor Maersk Drilling, is under contract with Total until August 21. Total took over the rig on February 14 after Statoil canceled its contract for the rig.
Maersk Gallant is a jack-up drilling rig, built at Far East Levingston Shipbuilding (FELS) in Singapore in 1993. The rig is operated by Maersk Contractors Norge A/S, and it received Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) in August 2002.