On 9 November 2010, the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) conducted an audit of BP Norge’s follow-up of new work processes within drilling and well activities using information and communication technology (ICT)
Archive for the ‘Norway’ Category
PSA Reports on BP Audit
Posted in Norway, Offshore Energy - General, oil, tagged bp, Norway, offshore oil, PSA, safety on January 29, 2011| 2 Comments »
Updated Norwegian Regulations
Posted in Norway, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged Norway, offshore drilling, PSA, safety on January 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »
More on the Gullfaks C Well Control Incident
Posted in accidents, Norway, tagged accidents, Norway, PSA, safety, well control on November 20, 2010| Leave a Comment »
The Petroleum Safety Authority of Norway has commented on Statoil’s report on the well control incident at Gullfaks C:
The PSA regards the incident as very serious. It involved the lengthy loss of a barrier. Only chance averted a sub-surface blowout and/or explosion, and prevented the incident from developing into a major accident.
PSA had directed Statoil to do the following:
- To review and assess compliance with the work processes established to safeguard the quality and robustness of the well construction process on Gullfaks. This must include an investigation of why important deficiencies were not picked up during the work. Necessary improvement measures related to the work processes and their use must be identified and implemented.
- To conduct an independent assessment of why measures adopted after earlier incidents, including the gas blowout on Snorre A in 2004 with similar causes, have not had the desired effect on Gullfaks. Based on the results of this work, the company must assess the need for and implement new and tailored improvement measures on Gullfaks.
- To assess the results of the work done under items 1 and 2 and – on that basis – implement measures in the rest of the company.
- To prepare a binding plan for the way this work is to be executed and followed up. This plan must be submitted to the PSA.
1962 Letter from Phillips Petroleum to Norway: Have we got a deal for you!
Posted in Norway, Offshore Energy - General, tagged Bjorn Vidar Leroen, Drops of Black Gold, North Sea, Norway, offshore oil, Phillips Petroleum, Statoil on November 19, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Yesterday, I was fortunate to receive a copy of Bjørn Vidar Lerøen’s excellent book “Drops of Black Gold” which chronicles the history of Statoil and Norwegian offshore oil and gas development. Of particular interest was a letter on page 17 of the book (not available online) that I had heard about but hadn’t seen. The letter, dated October 29, 1962, is from Phillips Petroleum to the chairman of a Norwegian government committee considering offshore oil and gas exploration.
Phillips’ request is quoted below. You have to give Phillips high marks for taking an aggressive negotiating position (or was it pure chutzpah?). No small lease blocks for them. Phillips asked for the whole Norwegian shelf including any future additions! And what would they offer in return – a seismic survey program costing an estimated $1 million.
We have reason for believing that the geologic basin in which large reserves of natural gas have been discovered in Holland may be extended northward into the Norwegian portion of the North Sea. Therefore, Phillips Petroleum Company is interested in obtaining from the Norwegian government an oil and gas concession covering the lands lying beneath the territorial waters of Norway plus that portion of the continental shelf lying beneath the North Sea which may now or in the future belong to or be under the control of Norway.
HSE and Culture
Posted in Norway, tagged accidents, Norway, offshore oil, PSA, safety, safety culture on November 14, 2010| Leave a Comment »
This week I read two pioneering PSA publications: HSE and Culture and Thought Processes. In January 2002, Norway became the first offshore petroleum regulator to require that companies have a sound health, safety, and environmental culture. The purpose of the two publications was to help industry better understand the concept of HSE and Culture and the goals of the regulation. I recommend that you take a few moments and take a look at the publications.
Excerpt from HSE and Culture:
Organisations with a sound HSE culture are characterised by the ability to learn, and constantly question their own practice and patterns of interaction. Informed organisations accommodate dialogue and critical reflection on their own practices. People respect each other’s expertise and are willing to share and furtherdevelop their HSE knowledge.
Excerpt from Thought Processes
Vulnerability deals with the relationship between cause and effect. A vulnerable system can be completely disabled – permanently – by a single non-conformance or a series of errors. That sounds dramatic, and fairly unlikely. But it has happened:
• Alexander L Kielland flotel
• P-36 floating platform
• Piper Alpha platform
•Sleipner A GBSAnd it can happen again. Because vulnerability begins in the brain. When things are going well, people easily become over-confident. Traditional constraints are challenged and established practices rejected. The consequences spread to the rest of the production system in the formof untried technology, complex solutions, faster execution times and narrower safety margins.
Risk Management
Posted in accidents, Norway, tagged accidents, Norway, PSA, risk management, safety, Torleif Husebo on October 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »
With all the discussion about risk management, what should government and industry be doing to identify and address potential weaknesses in drilling and production systems? A good place to start would be to review the reports that have been prepared by the Petroleum Safety Authority – Norway (PSA) for the past ten years. These reports use a variety of indicators to assess safety risks on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Torleif Husebo presented a summary of PSA’s risk program at the Vancouver conference. The full text of their latest report can be viewed here.
As was noted in Vancouver, we need to continue to develop and assess new indicators for possible use in risk management programs.
According to PSA:
No single indicator can pick up all relevant aspects of risk. Developments are accordingly measured by utilising a number of relevant indicators and methods, such as the collection and analysis of incident indicators and barrier data, interviews with key informants and a major questionnaire survey every other year.
Risk management is complex and there is no cookbook. Technological, human, organizational, and procedural factors must all be considered, and everyone needs to be engaged.
Good for Cairn Energy! Good for Greenland!
Posted in conferences, drilling, Norway, tagged Cairn Energy, drilling, Greenland, offshore oil, Phil Tracy, safety on October 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Upstream was in attendance at today’s Arctic Oil & Gas Conference in Oslo and posted an interesting report. At the conference, Cairn Energy’s Engineering and Operations Director Phil Tracy wisely avoided the “can’t happen here, can’t happen again, can’t happen to me” traps. Instead, he correctly noted that:
An uninformed public are looking for guarantees we cannot give.
Kudos to Mr. Tracy. We are not politicians, and must be open and honest with the public. Yes, a disaster can happen again, but we will do everything possible to prevent it. While the professional opposition and their political leadership will never be satisfied, the public at large appreciates candid and honest responses.
I was personally required to give a point by point by point submission (covering HSE) to the Greenlandic authorities. Phil Tracy
I have to give high marks to Greenland. They resisted the cry to prohibit drilling, but challenged the operator and insisted on a top-notch operation. Well done!
Cairn operation offshore Greenland. Greenpeace provides moral support.
Someone Who Gets It
Posted in accidents, Norway, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, kielland, macondo, Magne Ognedal, Montara, Norway, oil spill, PSA, safety, well control on June 7, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Dette kan skje igjen (This could happen again)~ Magne Ognedal, Director General, Petroleum Safety Authority Norway
Magne’s quote in the Stavanger Aftenblad acknowledges that tragic accidents like the Macondo/Horizon blowout or Alexander Kielland sinking could happen again (see English translation of full article by BOE Europe Chief Odd Finnestad). Magne goes on to say:
We must appreciate there are risks associated with our petroleum activities, and in our yearly risk assessments we attempt to put in concrete terms what those inherent risks are. It is up to our national political system to determine whether this risk picture should be accepted or not.
and
We must endeavor to learn from whatever happens around the world, and if there is something that is also relevant to Norway we must apply those lessons, both regulators and industry
Industry and government officials would be wise to follow Magne’s lead and avoid “can’t happen here” statements. A few of these statements were made in the US after the Montara (Timor Sea) blowout, and we know how that worked out.
Some very experienced and capable offshore managers have had “there but for the grace of God go I” moments in the wake of this disaster. They know that this is not the time for boasting, piling-on, or schadenfreude. Like Magne, real leaders are focused on monitoring the investigations, studying the findings and recommendations, and applying the lessons as necessary to further reduce their operating risks and the risks of others who conduct offshore oil and gas operations.
Petroleum Safety Authority Norway Releases Statement on Macondo Blowout
Posted in accidents, Norway, well control incidents, tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, PSA on May 4, 2010| 4 Comments »
The tragic events on the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico have attracted great international attention, and have also promoted a flood of questions to the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA).
The PSA Norway has issued a statement on the Horizon incident, and has appropriately avoided responding to the “can it happen here?” question. Their interest and support are greatly appreciated.
Interview with Magne Ognedal
Posted in Interviews, Norway, Offshore Energy - General, tagged Norway, Ognedal, PSA, regulator, safety on February 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Magne Ognedal
BOE is pleased and honored that Magne Ognedal, Director General of the Petroleum Safety Authority – Norway, has agreed to the blog’s first interview. Magne is an internationally recognized authority on offshore safety and regulatory policy. He has been a leader of the International Regulators’ Forum since its inception in 1994, has assisted governments with emerging offshore energy programs, and served as program and steering committee chair for major international conferences. He was recently appointed by the King’s cabinet to a second 6-year term as Director General. I’m sure you will be interested in Magne’s candid and informative comments about offshore safety, regulatory policy, and international cooperation.
I am glad Norway is one Kingdom!
Update: See Magne’s 10 February comments about offshore safety and PSA’s report- Safety Status and Signals, 2009-2010. For an e-book version (nice work by Ole-Johan Faret!) click here.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 