August 8, 2010 by offshoreenergy
Hart E&P shares reader feedback about the infamous Tiger Mike. (also, see our precious post)
Meanwhile BOE Senior VP Odd Finnestad recalls experiences with Mike-like characters offshore Norway:
For some reason I think there were many – and still are some – Tiger Mikes around in the business. I know they were here in Norway when our first field, the Ekofisk, was discovered by the “Ocean Viking” and later developed the field way back in the sixties. And when you would be sacked simply for having been clumsy enough to have had your fingers crushed by the makeup or breakout tongs. The comment of the ODECO supervisor would then probably be: “Five minutes for a smoke. Then you come back or you f…. jump on the first f…. helicopter!” He might even have added: “And, if you do, I don’t want to see your f…. face again!” well knowing that it was not really necessary for him to elaborate on the fate of the poor Norwegian roustabout that had just signed on for the good money!
You do not find so many of these supervisors in the offshore NCS today. But I think I can still see some – busily harassing employees in other types of oil and gas related organisations.
The Tiger Mikes of today are much more subtle. While they may say the right things (at least officially), their actions and offhand comments send other signals. They insist on making every decision, create an atmosphere where employees are afraid to raise safety concerns, and ignore warning signs that might delay operations and increase costs.
When things go wrong, the temptation for both operators and regulators is to be more like Tiger Mike – more memos, more prescription, and more approvals. While this approach may address certain technical or operational details that contributed to a specific accident, it does not address the fundamental leadership, organizational, and cultural shortcomings that must be corrected to improve operational performance and reduce safety and environmental risks.
Great organizations stimulate and harness employee energy and ingenuity such that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Similarly, great regulations foster organizational excellence on the part of both the regulated community and the regulator.
Don’t be like Mike!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged accidents, management, Norway, Odd Finnestad, safety, Tiger Mike | Leave a Comment »
August 7, 2010 by offshoreenergy
Tiger's visionary health and safety policy.
Throw away your text books and ignore everything you learned in supervisory training classes. Instead, study the wisdom of Tiger Mike, an oil baron and a visionary management guru. In addition to his leadership genius, Tiger Mike (LSU grad?) was a brilliant wildcatter who drilled 49 consecutive dry holes (industry record?) and a snappy dresser (“Tiger Mike’s wardrobe consisted of only one-piece khaki polyester leisure suits with white shoes and white belt.”) Truly inspiring!
I saw paper copies of these memos in the pre-internet days, and am pleased to see that they are now posted on the web, so that everyone can benefit from Mike’s wisdom 🙂
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
August 6, 2010 by offshoreenergy
G’Day Australia. There are now only 2 weeks until the Federal election. Ironically, the election, which may have delayed the release of the Montara Inquiry report, will be held on the first anniversary of that blowout.
This report will play an important role in keeping our workers safe, protecting our environment and safeguarding our energy security. Minister Martin Ferguson
BOE fully agrees with Minister Ferguson’s statement about the importance of the Montara Inquiry report and hopes that he or his successor promptly releases the report after the election. The lessons learned at Montara will not only prevent accidents in Australia, but elsewhere in the world. In light of the disturbing similarities between the two blowouts, it is possible that closer international attention to Montara might even have prevented the Macondo blowout.
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged Australia, blowouts, macondo, Montara, offshore oil, safety, well control | Leave a Comment »
August 6, 2010 by offshoreenergy
- Now that the Unified Command has had a couple of days to review the static kill data (which were certainly considered in planning the cementing operation that was concluded yesterday), please provide an update on the latest thinking with regard to the well’s flow path.
- Please post a cross section schematic (best estimate) of the well after the completion of yesterday’s cementing operation.
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, relief well, safety, well control | Leave a Comment »
August 5, 2010 by offshoreenergy
I have stated over and over again, let me be perfectly clear. I am the National Incident Commander. I issue the orders. This will not be done until we complete the bottom kill. Admiral Allen, 5 August 2010
Al "I'm in charge here" Haig
Just kidding Admiral Allen 🙂
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August 5, 2010 by offshoreenergy
Upstream has confirmed the crane incident on the Jack Ryan during operations offshore Nigeria.
According to a summary incident report into the accident, seen by Upstream, the port aft crane boom and cab, together with the three men, went overboard during load testing.
Upstream understands that the crane boom snapped during the tests.
The Upstream report is consistent with information provided separately by Malcolm Sharples. One worker is still missing.
Posted in accidents | Tagged accidents, crane, drilling, Jack Ryan, lifting, Nigeria, offshore oil, safety | Leave a Comment »
August 5, 2010 by offshoreenergy
Kent Well’s response to a reporter’s question and Colin Leach’s comment on BOE seem to give credence to our suspicion that the flow path for the Macondo well was inside the production casing! If true, this is enormously significant for the following reasons:
- The root cause of Macondo is eerily similar to that at Montara in that oil and gas entered the well via compromised cement in the casing shoe and a failed float. Did the BP engineers and TO crew even know about Montara? This shows why accident information must be promptly circulated and brought to the attention of key personnel everywhere in the world. It also demonstrates why the Montara report needs to be released without further delay.
- Presumed contributing factors that would be irrelevant or less significant: the long string vs. liner/tieback decision, and the failure to run a Cement Bond Log, additional centralizers, or a lockdown sleeve on the casing seal.
- Contributing factors that would have even greater importance: selection of the casing point (integrity at the base of the well), waiting on cement time, timing of the positive and negative pressure tests (this is a topic that warrants much more scrutiny and discussion), and failure to set a cement plug before displacing the mud with sea water.
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, Australia, blowouts, Colin Leach, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, Montara, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control | 2 Comments »
August 4, 2010 by offshoreenergy
Click to read the full “Oil Budget” report (just released).
The vast majority of the oil from the BP oil spill has either evaporated or been burned, skimmed, recovered from the wellhead or dispersed – much of which is in the process of being degraded.
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control | Leave a Comment »
August 4, 2010 by offshoreenergy
I awoke to an email message from Odd Finnestad linking the BP announcement. It’s only fitting that Odd delivered the news. He and I have been following Montara and Macondo on a daily basis since August 21, 2009, the day the Montara well blew out in the Timor Sea. A few thoughts:
- The real end date for the blowout was July 15th, when the containment cap shut-in the well. It was an uncertain ending with the capping described as a temporary integrity test and talk about re-opening well vents. Fortunately, good judgement and common sense prevailed, and the well remained shut-in.
- The efforts to prevent recurrence can now proceed with fewer distractions. It’s difficult to calmly address the issues while video images of oil gushing into the Gulf are being broadcast worldwide.
- We need to do more than react to Macondo, and every offshore operator and contractor needs to be involved. Only 20% of Gulf of Mexico operators attended a critical industry-government hurricane conference after Katrina and Rita. (No, I’m not going to stop ranting about this!)
- Industry needs to look at EVERY aspect of offshore operations, not just the drilling issues associated with Macondo. Fixing what happened at Macondo doesn’t prevent production, pipeline, and other types of drilling disasters. Helicopter safety, lifting operations, and workplace safety issues also need to be further addressed.
- This is a major effort and everyone needs to participate. If you aren’t committed to improving overall safety performance, in the US and worldwide, you shouldn’t be in the business.
Posted in accidents | Tagged accidents, blowouts, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, macondo, Montara, offshore oil, oil spill, safety, well control | 3 Comments »
August 3, 2010 by offshoreenergy
In the less than 3 week period since Macondo was capped, we have transitioned from “doom and gloom” to “all is well.” What next?
Click to read an interesting USA Today article.
“Oil doesn’t really kill marsh plants,” says John Pardue, director of Louisiana State University’s Hazardous Substance Research Center, who has studied the effects of oil on marshes. “You can put several inches of oil on the vegetation surface and you won’t kill the plants.”
Posted in accidents, well control incidents | Tagged blowouts, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, Lousiana, macondo, marshes, offshore oil, oil spill, well control | Leave a Comment »
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