Proper Use of Technical Standards in Offshore Petroleum Industry

Abstract

Ships for drilling need to operate in the territorial waters of many different countries which can have different technical standards and procedures. For example, the European Union and European Economic Area EU/EEA product safety directives exclude from their scope drilling ships and related equipment onboard. On the other hand, the EU/EEA offshore safety directive requires the application of all the best technical standards that are used worldwide in the oil and gas industry. Consequently, it is not easy to select the most appropriate technical standards that increase the overall level of safety and environmental protection whilst avoiding the costs of additional certifications. We will show how some technical standards and procedures, which are recognized worldwide by the petroleum industry, can be accepted by various standardization bodies, and how they can fulfil the essential health and safety requirements of certain directives. Emphasis will be placed on the prevention of fire and explosion, on the safe use of equipment under pressure, and on the protection of personnel who work with machinery. Additionally considered is how the proper use of adequate procedures available at the time would have prevented three large scale offshore petroleum accidents: the Macondo Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010; the Montara in the Timor Sea in 2009; the Piper Alpha in the North Sea in 1988.

Offshore Oil and Gas Safety: Protection against Explosions

“…Use of the 2014/34/EU directive for product safety is obligatory in the EU/EEA, both onshore and offshore, with the exception of mobile drilling units operated on the EU/EEA continental shelf. On the other hand, the 2013/30/EU directive for overall oil and gas offshore safety requires the use of all the best worldwide available technical standards [22] and prescribes the use of the IMO MODU Code, "Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units" by the International Maritime Organization, which, in practice, requires the use of the IECEx scheme for protection on mobile drilling units.…”

Probability Analysis and Prevention of Offshore Oil and Gas Accidents: Fire as a Cause and a Consequence

“…In addition to Brkić and Praks [13], who examined the proper use of technical standards in the offshore oil and gas industry, and Brkić and Stajić [14], who focused on the prevention of explosions on offshore oil and gas facilities, this article will give a historical overview of offshore accidents with a focus on fire as a cause and a consequence and on the examination of uncertainty around the main causes of accidents [15]. To analyse the uncertainty of the accident rate, we will provide statistical analyses by the exact confidence limits of binomial data.…”

Underwater Pipeline Oil Spill Detection Based on Structure of Root and Branch Cells

“…There have been several oil spills at sea over the decades, e.g., the Gulf of Mexico (2010), the Timor Sea (2009), and the North Sea (1988). Although oil spills occur infrequently, they cause severe economic losses and a substantial adverse impact on the global environment [1]. Take the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 as an example: the accident caused eleven deaths and economic losses amounted to tens of billions of dollars.…”