Norway’s Aker BP is still investigating the causes which led to a fatal accident that occurred on the drilling rig Maersk Interceptor while operating on its Tambar field in December 2017.
The accident happened on December 7 , when a Maersk Drilling employee died after falling of the rig during the installation of a new seawater pump. Another person, also an employee of Maersk Drilling, was injured during the incident.
In a statement on Friday, presenting quarterly results, Aker BP said the police, Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) and Mærsk Drilling with participation of Aker BP representatives were investigating the accident to understand the root causes.
The company said that the final report was expected to be issued in early February 2018.
“The root causes from the incident will be duly followed up, learnings implemented and shared with the industry,” Aker BP said.
Worth noting, Norway’s offshore safety body, the Petroleum Safety Authority in January said that based on its preliminary investigation, it identified “serious shortcomings in systems and processes for materials handling,”
It last month ordered Maersk Drilling to review systems for follow-up and use of portable lifting equipment on all facilities in use on the Norwegian continental shelf, including internal control, training of personnel using such equipment and transferring experience with using such equipment.
Also, the company was told to systematically identify and review all operations related to the materials handling process for the installation of seawater pumps on all facilities in use on the
Norwegian continental shelf, identify risks and implement necessary measures. The PSA gave Maersk Drilling until February 28 to comply with the order.
Tambar
The Tambar installation is located 16 kilometers southeast of Ula in 68 meters water depth. It is a normally unmanned wellhead platform (NUI), remotely controlled from Ula. The Ula field center serves as an area hub for the satellite field Tambar, and as a third-party host for the Oselvar and Blane fields.
Aker BP is currently working on a redevelopment project on the Tambar field which consists of two additional wells and gas lift. This is expected to extend the production period from the field by about ten years. The gas lift is being installed because the reservoir pressure at Tambar is no longer sufficient to ensure satisfactory production.
As for the Maersk rig, it was hired to drill and complete two new wells on the field, designated 1/3-K-4 and 1/3-K-2.
Offshore Energy Today Staff