Canadian offshore regulator has approved Suncor Energy’s plan to resume operations on the semi-submersible drilling rig Transocean Barents, following a September 6, 2019 incident, which resulted in an injured Transocean employee.
As previously reported, the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) initiated a formal investigation into an incident reported by Suncor Energy on September 6, 2019.
In the incident, a Transocean employee on the Transocean Barents was injured while preparing the rig for forecasted weather. The worker was caught between a steel adapter weighing 1400kg and a rail during crane operations.
According to a Thursday report by C-NLOPB, the injured worker had been released from hospital but in recent days was readmitted and is currently being monitored.
The regulator also said that, following the submission of Suncor’s investigation report to the C-NLOPB and significant engagement between the C-NLOPB and Suncor senior personnel, the identification of root causes, causal factors, corrective measures and conditions for restart had been completed or implemented to the satisfaction of the C-NLOPB.
Suncor has determined the cause of the incident to be that hazards associated with lifting equipment and operations were not effectively managed. Suncor is required to complete all pre-start-up safety reviews prior to resuming operations.
The C-NLOPB investigation into the incident is ongoing.
This was not the first time for Suncor and Transocean Barents to be put under investigation. Namely, the Canadian regulator in May 2018 started an investigation following a synthetic-based mud spill from the Transocean Barents rig.