Nigeria is Africa's biggest crude producer but its revenue is severely reduced by theft and attacks on oil pipelines that significantly impacts crude production and fuel supply. Substantial efforts have taken place in collaboration with local communities, producers and oil operators to engage New Technologies in a bid to combat oil theft and pipeline sabotage. Integrity monitoring of oil and gas pipeline pipelines can quickly identify a leak or third-party incursion event. Distributed optical fibre sensing offers a pipeline monitoring system that is not available with any other technology. Early detection of a leak or intrusion together with the accurate identification of the location allows time for either safe shutdown or rapid dispatch of security, assessment and clean-up personnel giving benefits in terms of reduced environmental impact and reduced helth risks to the local population. An effective and appropriately implemented monitoring system can easily pay for itself through reduced product loss, potential consequential losses and an increase in public confidence. A Distributed surveillance system one of the first installed in Nigeria will be introduced. The System has been introduced to the Umugini pipeline, a crude oil evacuation route for four Nigerian marginal field producers in the western Niger Delta. The system uses the FALCON Platform developed by Xenergi. The system includes intrusion detection and leak detection based on both acoustic and temperature variations. At the heart of the system are both the Ultima™ Distributed Temperature Sensor (DTS) and Distributed Acoustic Sensor (intelligent DAS) allowing coverage of ranges up to 10's km continuously. The project had to overcome a number of challenges, including the variable installation conditions imposed by the terrain & local climate, contractors unfamiliar with the technology and community concerns. Overcoming these issues gave a system that delivers 24/7 coverage of the Umigini pipeline from a single monitoring location giving the operator financial benefits in reduced product loss and more efficient deployment of resources. The Silixa intelligent Pipeline Surveillance System (iPSS™) allows oil & gas pipeline operators to continuously and simultaneously monitor for leaks and threats to the pipeline along its entire length, and is the only system that can offer such complete coverage. Utilising fibre optics and underpinning the detection technology is Silixa's world leading Ultima & intelligent DAS, (iDAS™). The iPSS brings together this advanced technology, applies sophisticated processing and presents vital information through an easy to use interface.

TOTAL have recognised the fact, that there has been a need to put more focus on the environmental aspects associated with major accidents hazards. Major accidents as defined by the Offshore Installations (Offshore Safety Case) Regulations 2015 have been specifically assessed by the UK affiliate to identify if they could result in a Major Environmental Incident(s) (MEIs); in line with the EU Directive 2004/35/EC on environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage. Hydrocarbon releases of over 1,000bbls have therefore been modeled using the OSCAR software for events such as topside / subsea releases and wells blow outs in order to define fate and location of hydrocarbons from these releases. The exposure/effect (acute mortality, population loss, quantity of oil reaching/endangering shoreline habitats) of the releases on Valued Ecosystem Components (VECs) has then been assessed to define restitution time of the relevant organisms/habitats. Results of the modeling have been assessed so that any event that has a potential effect on the VECs classed by the Company as "Catastrophic" (>3years restoration time) or above is classed as MEI. The incidents not identified as MEIs are then screened along with other liquid releases using a complementary method. This method utilises a matrix to define the environmental severity, based on the volume and toxicity of the release as well as the sensitivity of the marine environment and when relevant (shoreline) the extent of the release. The above Offshore Safety Case regulation defines Safety and Environmental Critical Elements (SECEs) as "parts of an installation where either (a) failure could cause or contribute substantially to a major accident or (b) it has a purpose to prevent, or limit the effect of, a major accident". For major accidents potentially resulting in MEIs, a review of existing barriers was undertaken to demonstrate their adequacy and sufficiency. As an outcome of this process, Critical Elements performance standards were reviewed and amendments proposed as required.

The Shetland Gas Plant (SGP) is a large gas processing site built in a very fragile ecosystem (blanket bog) at Sullom Voe on the Shetland Islands. There are multiple environmental designations in the surrounding environment (RAMSAR, SSSI - Site of Special Scientific Interest, MPA, …). The site processes gas and liquid, the produced water effluent from these operations are then fed to the Effluent Water Treatment Plant (EWTP) for processing prior to being discharged to Yell Sound via a 3.75 km pipeline. There are numerous defined pathways and very sensitive receptors in the area which both the produced water and drainage water could directly impact in a short period of time. The regulatory regime is very intensive & wide ranging, this allied to the high societal expectations, especially socio-economic, meant that careful design and construction criteria, along with very reactive operational control methodologies, were required to manage the need for continuous monitoring and modifications. Best Available Technique (BAT) assessments were carried out to determine a predicted contaminant level; actual recorded levels were then compared to the predicted level. Over the course of a lengthy construction and commissioning period, it was found that the output contaminant balance was very complex and susceptible to large movements with small input changes; these were recognised as associated issues (multiple determinands and management of trigger levels). This required prolonged and intensive adjustment to the process to ensure that the regulator agreed Environmental Limit Values (ELV's) were met. This process had a multi analysis approach to allow for the many different variables which required to be controlled in tandem to meet the ELV's. Final environmental sign off from commissioning was achieved in July 2017 and even with the higher than anticipated usage and the legacy construction issues, the site continues to improve its performance and protect the receiving environment from process contaminant problems. It was found that engagement with the regulator at an early stage and regular/informed updates, good baseline assessments, a solid understanding of stakeholder management issues and initial and ongoing biodiversity identification allowed the project to manage this very sensitive development in a very fragile and reactive ecosystem.