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Norway publishes Arctic safety report Provides review of techniques, procedures and standards for preventing oil pollution from Arctic offshore oil and gas activities ALAN BAILEY Petroleum News
The Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority has published a report that provides a comprehensive overview of the current status of efforts to prevent the escape of fluids into the marine environment from Arctic offshore oil and gas operations. The report, prepared by Norwegian risk management firm Proactima, addresses measures taken to prevent oil spills but does not deal with techniques used to respond to a spill, once a spill has happened. While considering safety risks from all phases of Arctic offshore oil exploration, development and production, the report does not consider risks associated with vessels, including shuttle tankers, operating on the open sea.
Norway plans to deliver the report to the Arctic Council, the intergovernmental forum of the eight Arctic nations, in response to a recommendation from the council’s Task Force on Arctic Marine Oil Pollution Prevention. The report takes a broad view of the geographic extent of the Arctic, including cold regions such as Alaska’s Cook Inlet as well as traditional Arctic seas.
While oil spills can occur for a variety of reasons, including well blowouts, pipeline leaks and process leaks, measures designed to reduce spill risks range from improved weather forecasting and ice management to improved drilling technologies and advanced oil facility design.
Weather and ice From the perspective of weather and ice forecasting, the report notes that, despite reductions in the Arctic ice cap, it remains important to take into account the possibility of severe ice conditions when designing technologies and equipment for use in the Arctic. And the reduction in ice cover may lead to more severe wave action in Arctic seas. The report recommends improved weather forecasting for polar regions through higher resolution weather models and improved data collection.
There are known methods for ice management including the towing of icebergs and the disconnection of well risers during ice conditions, the report says. But, given the changing Arctic conditions, research should focus on dealing with small icebergs and ice floes - there has been little research into the handling of situations in which the sea ice has been broken into small pieces, the report says. Research into the dynamic positioning of floating facilities in pack ice shows promise but is not yet proven, the report says. The report also recommends the development of technologies for the disconnection and reconnection of multiple well risers, with current technologies having limitations when it comes to multiple reconnections.
Detecting an oil spill under ice at a remote location is challenging. Although two major joint industry projects have addressed this issue, uncertainty over detection methods remains and more research is needed, the report says.
In terms of drilling technology, well integrity and well control, the report recommends the continuation of current work by the oil industry in developing technologies that act as barriers to the escape of oil when well control emergencies arise. In addition, research should emphasize measures that can be taken to reduce the probability of a well control problem, the report says.
Although much research has focused on the protection of pipelines and other subsea structures from damage from the keels of ice ridges and icebergs, further research in this area is needed. Further work should also be conducted into methods of detecting leaks from subsea structures, the report says.
Ice loads Much research has also been conducted into the impact of ice loads on offshore facilities. However, at this stage it is not possible to determine whether this research will result in inherently safe facility designs, the report says. It is particularly important to identify the type of ice feature that is creating an ice load, and to take account of localized ice loads as well as the total load on a structure, the report says. There are international standards for materials suitable for use for the manufacture of Arctic facilities.
There are systems for the loading and offloading of oil at offshore installations during normal ice drift conditions. However, with an apparent absence of loading systems that can operate during icing conditions, loading should be delayed, as necessary, until weather conditions permit safe operations, the report recommends.
While there are existing international standards for the design and construction of Arctic offshore structures, standards for petroleum operations in the Arctic are under development, the report says. The report recommends the development of further safety standards and stresses the importance of the consistent use of standards across international borders.
New techniques? There are initiatives for devising new exploration and oil production techniques that might be applied in the Arctic offshore, although the development of these techniques takes a considerable time. The report recommends continuing efforts to develop a subsea production solution for use in the Arctic by evaluating known deepwater technology that might be transferred to Arctic offshore applications. Maintenance and inspection techniques applicable in the Arctic could also be improved, the report says.
The report says that the communications infrastructure in the Arctic is inadequate for the operational requirements of expected future Arctic maritime operations. Improved communications systems are currently being implemented and developed, with an anticipated result of better Arctic communications services.
Arctic training Realistic training under cold weather conditions, including relevant fitness training, should be provided for personnel who will be involved in cold climate operations. And managers involved in operational decisions should also participate in training in realistic conditions, the report recommends.
The report also comments on the number of research and development centers, projects and forums that are focusing on Arctic operations. It is important to maintain competence and expertise through the publication of research and development results, the report says.
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