Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway – Statoil (OSE:STL) has submitted its report to Petroleum Safety Authority Norway following investigation into a gas leak that occurred in May on the Heimdal platform in the Norwegian North Sea.
The leak occurred during a routine operation where a valve was overloaded and gas escaped into the surrounding area. The investigation concludes that this was a serious incident. However, there appears to have been no threat to the platform’s main safety functions or integrity. Both the emergency response and the automatic safety systems worked as planned, and no injuries resulted.
The cause was a complex chain of events that included errors in the original design, insufficient planning, and failure to communicate. Total volume of gas emitted during the roughly four minutes of the leak was 3,500 kilos.
After the incident, Statoil acted to improve the technical design and updated system drawings and also how the company plans, assesses risk, and performs activities.
Following a previous gas leak onGullfaks B in December 2010, a comprehensive improvement effort was initiated in concert with employee representatives.
Heimdal is a gas field in 120 m (394 ft) water depth in block 25/4. It is ahub for gas processing and distribution. The facilities comprise an integrated steel platform and a riser platform. The main platform is an integrated drilling, production, and accommodation installation with a steel jacket.
10/24/2012
