Offshore staff
SINGAPORE — As previously reported by Jadestone Energy Plc in late July, production at Montara offshore Australia was temporarily shut in following a gas alarm within the
Montara VentureFPSO’s 4S ballast water tank. Now the company has provided an update on its inspection results and its plans moving forward with the FPSO.
On July 29, a gas alarm was triggered in ballast water tank 4S, indicating possible communication with one of the FPSO’s adjacent tanks. Since then, tank 4S has been emptied and cleaned, and an inspection began Aug. 8. The initial inspection has identified the location of a small defect between tank 4S and oil cargo tank 5C, which poses no safety or structural risk, nor any risk of a hydrocarbon leak to sea.
The company is now focused on the following activities to address the defect in tank 4S, including:
- final inspections in ballast water tank 4P prior to returning this tank to service as part of the overall ballast and stability requirements for the FPSO;
- offloading crude oil from tank 5C to allow for cleaning and access to permit an inspection; and
- reentry to 4S to finalize the inspection of the tank and carry out the necessary repair.
Jadestone continues to keep key stakeholders, including the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) and its reserve-based lending (RBL) facility banks, regularly updated on these activities. The RBL includes the requirement for borrowing base assets, such as Montara, not to have production interrupted for a continuous period of 60 days or more. Jadestone said it will be working with the RBL banks to assess how the shut in might impact the clauses and covenant under the RBL facility.
08.10.2023
