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Archive for the ‘accidents’ Category

Update #3: Gulf of Mexico helicopter crash

Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on December 30, 2022| 1 Comment »

ainonline:

  • This was the second crash for the operator (Rotorcraft) in two weeks, its second fatal for the year, and the third in the Gulf of Mexico since October.
  •  On December 15, a Rotorcraft Leasing Bell 206L-4 with three aboard crashed while taking off from a platform 35 miles south of Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana. In that accident, one of the helicopter’s skids caught under the helipad’s perimeter railing, and the aircraft fell into the water below. (We have concerns that yesterday’s incident may have had a similar cause.)
  • On October 26, a Westwind Helicopters Bell 407 with three aboard crashed into the Gulf 25 miles south of Morgan City, Louisiana after the pilot apparently experienced an in-flight medical emergency and told his front seat passenger he “was not going to make it” and then slumped over the controls. The front-seat passenger then attempted to gain control of the helicopter prior to the water impact. After several hours, both passengers were rescued with serious injuries, but the pilot died. (This is why I never liked single pilot aircraft.)
  •  Another of the company’s Bell 407s crashed on January 14 near Houma, Louisiana, killing both occupants. A witness to the accident said the helicopter appeared to dive nose-down into terrain. To date, investigators in that accident have not discovered any mechanical or structural failure that would account for that crash. 

Get to work HSAC, NTSB, BSEE, USCG, FAA, and all others who are involved with offshore helicopter safety.

Not a word about this tragedy on the Rotorcraft, Walter Oil & Gas, or BSEE websites, and no public statements can be found. At a minimum, one would have expected condolences to the families and a commitment to find out what happened and prevent recurrences.

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Update #2: Gulf of Mexico helicopter crash

Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, tagged , , , on December 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »

From Lars Herbst:

  • Tragically, the pilot and 3 passengers are assumed dead.
  • Aircraft reported as Bell 407, a very common smaller aircraft used in the GOM
  • Crashed on departure; apparently hit the helideck before tumbling into the Gulf
  • Second Rotorcraft helicopter to go down in the Gulf in three months

The next Helicopter Safety Advisory Conference (HSAC) meeting, scheduled for January 18-19 in Houston, is now urgent.

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Update on Gulf of Mexico helicopter crash

Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on December 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Walter platform with helicopter debris in foreground

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4 missing following Gulf of Mexico helicopter crash; no further details at this time

Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged , , on December 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »

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Gulf of Mexico incidents and violations leader wants to develop a carbon sequestration hub

Posted in accidents, CCS, decommissioning, energy policy, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Carbon-Zero US LLC of Dallas (a Cox Oil affiliate) has applied for up to $12 million in U.S. Department of Energy funds to develop a pilot sequestration hub in offshore storage fields about 20 miles from Grand Isle, according to officials from Cox Operating LLC, the Dallas operator that owns some of the storage fields.

Cox Operating LLC will “repurpose facilities and equipment” for the carbon storage project, according to a news release.

The Advocate

Should this company be authorized to repurpose Gulf of Mexico facilities for carbon sequestration?

  • Per BSEE Incident of Non-Compliance (INC) data for 2022, Cox had more component shut-in INCs (132) than any other company. Cox was second to the Fieldwood companies in the number of warning and facility shut-in INCs, and in the total number of INCs. 48% of the Cox INCs required either a component or facility shut-in.
  • Cox had an INC/facility-inspection ratio of 0.77, nearly 50% higher than the GoM average of 0.53.
  • Per the posted BSEE district investigation reports for 2022, Cox was responsible for 9 of the 30 incidents that were significant enough to require investigation. That is more than twice as many as any other company (next highest was 4).
  • The incidents included 3 serious injuries, 2 fires, a large gas leak, and oil spills of 114, 129, and 660 gallons. Per the posted reports, only one other company had an oil spill of >1 bbl. (Note: Only spills of > 1 bbl are routinely investigated by BSEE. One bbl = 42 gallons.)
  • While INCs were issued for only 3 of the 9 Cox incidents, a review of the reports suggests that INCs should have been issued for at least 4 of the other incidents.
  • Cox operates 375 platforms with installation dates as early as 1949. 134 of their platforms are > 50 years old. Only 66 were installed in the last 20 years and only 6 in the last 10 years (most recent December 2014). How will the carbon sequestration plans affect their massive decommissioning obligations?
  • Many of the Cox platforms were assigned by predecessor lessees. Those predecessors can only be held responsible for the decommissioning of facilities they installed, not for more recent wells or platforms and not for facilities that are repurposed for carbon sequestration.

Other more generic issues should be addressed before DOE awards funds for offshore sequestration projects.

Also, as noted in the discussion of Exxon’s 94 Sale 257 oil and gas leases, a competitively issued alternate use RUE is required (30 CFR § 585.1007) before sequestration operations may be conducted on an oil and gas lease.

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Raphael Moura (ANP Brazil) interview

Posted in IRF, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, well control incidents, tagged , , , , on December 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Raphael is a highly regarded offshore safety leader and a positive force for continuous safety achievement in Brazil and internationally.

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Waiting for…

Posted in accidents, California, Gulf of Mexico, pipelines, tagged , , , , , , on December 15, 2022| Leave a Comment »

As we approach the end of 2022, I’m still waiting for:

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Nord Stream: the EU agrees to better protect critical infrastructure, but ignores the elephant in the room

Posted in accidents, energy, Offshore Energy - General, pipelines, tagged , , , , on December 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Wer ist verantwortlich?

As reported by Tagespiegel, the EU states have agreed to better protect critical infrastructure. Yet apparently the status of the Nord Stream investigation(s) was not discussed. When will the findings be released? How and when will the responsible parties be identified?

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This Well Control Rule comment, endorsed by 7 trade associations, hit a nerve. Here’s why.

Posted in drilling, Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, well control incidents, tagged , , , , , on November 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »

The comment (pasted below) by the trade associations asserts that BSEE ignored the requirements of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA).

Reaction:

  • BSEE and its predecessors (MMS and the Conservation Div. of USGS) have been incorporating industry standards since 1969, 27 years prior to the enactment of the NTTAA (1996).
  • 127 standards are currently incorporated into the BSEE regulations. Does this imply ignoring the NTTAA?
  • The keystone of the BOP regulations, API Standard 53, is cited in 250.730, the very section of the rule that is under discussion. Seven other industry standards are cited in that section of the rule. Does this imply ignoring the NTTAA?
  • Regulators cannot cede their authority to standards development organizations. If a standard is outdated or deficient, the regulator must address the issues of concern.
  • Deviations between provisions in the regulations and API Standard 53 are expected and specifically provided for in 250.730 as follows: “If there is a conflict between API Standard 53 and the requirements of this subpart, you must follow the requirements of this subpart.“
  • For years, the production safety system regulations specified different leakage rates for surface and subsurface safety valves than those allowed in the API standards. An MMS research project addressed and helped resolve these differences.
  • While essential to safety and regulatory programs, standards are not a panacea; nor is the standards development process without weaknesses. One need only consider the case of the delayed cementing (zonal isolation) standard to appreciate both the importance of standards and the potential weaknesses in the development process.

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OK, but what do you think about the revisions to the Well Control Rule? 😀

Posted in Offshore Energy - General, Regulation, well control incidents, tagged , , on November 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »

I recommend we Nationalize the Oil and gas industry. I think the government is the right entity at this time to seize all the assets and infrastructure of the cartels. The resources mostly on public lands and water, belong to the USA anyway. It is time we transition more rapidly to renewables to break the leverage of the cartels on governments, and people, to stop wars and profiteering.

People are paying high prices and cartels like API, Exxon, Sinclair are making record profits from American’s purses. All the while escaping the costs of oil spills and leaks, and denying responsibility for climate change disasters and their costs.

Anonymous WCR commenter (0010)

Diverse input on proposed regulations is healthy and desirable. However, comments should not be posted at Regulations.gov unless (1) the commenter is identified and (2) the comments include at least one sentence about the regulation being proposed.

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