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Piper Alpha News

14 Dec 2017

Force Majeure Declared on Some North Sea Liftings

Pipeline shut on Dec. 11; repair work could last several weeks. Deliveries of crude oil through the Forties pipeline in the North Sea are under force majeure for the first time in decades and operator INEOS said on Thursday there was no timeline yet for repair work that could last several weeks. The 169-km pipeline, which carries around a quarter of all North Sea crude output and around a third of Britain's total offshore gas production, has been closed since Monday, following the discovery of a small crack in part of the system onshore in Scotland. Force majeure, which suspends a company's contractual obligations in the wake of situations that lie beyond its control, is common in oil-producing nations like Nigeria where unrest often disrupts output, but very rare in the North Sea.

20 Jun 2017

Offshore Gas Safety atop the Agenda for Martek Marine

Gas Sampling System (Photo: Martek Marine)

Maritime industry technology specialists Martek Marine say it is setting the bar high when it comes to offshore gas safety. The company has developed a first-of-its-kind gas sampling system for a new moored floating production unit, which forms part of the Jangkrik Complex gas fields development in Indonesia. The system has been developed to dramatically improve offshore crew safety through the use of advanced gas sampling technology. The worst offshore disaster in history, the Piper disaster on July 6…

16 Jun 2015

North Sea Job Losses Raise Skills and Safety Concerns

Photo: BP

Cost-cutting in Britain's North Sea oil and gas sector could lead to more acute skills shortages in future, industry experts have warned, with some expressing concerns that safety could be compromised. A plunge in crude prices over the last 12 months has prompted oil majors such as Royal Dutch Shell, BP , Chevron and ConocoPhillips to lay off hundreds of workers. Oil field services groups such as Amec Foster Wheeler , Wood Group and Petrofac are also in consultation with employees over job cuts.

18 Aug 2014

DNV GL Revisits Offshore Oil & Gas Risks

In the first issue its 'Perspectives' online magazine DNV GL’s Graham Bennett points out that the Macondo incident has cast a spotlight on well control standards and the need for more consistency in training. Offshore oil and gas activities are not, by nature, inherently safe. They involve handling large amounts of pressurised hydrocarbons and other produced fluids and gases. The industry has been improving its process safety performance ever since the Piper Alpha platform incident, in which 167 men died in 1988, but it still has far to go in effectively managing major hazard risks. Many elements behind the fire, fatalities and massive oil spill from the Macondo field in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 had been seen before.

05 Aug 2014

DNV GL Extends UK Offshore Safety Training

DNV GL, the global provider of risk management services, is extending a offshore safety training program which aims to advance the role of elected safety representatives (ESRs) in minimizing the risk of accidents and improving safety. The course, which is accredited by OPITO, will now be available at DNV GL’s Manchester offices from October to complement and add capacity to the training already provided in its Aberdeen office. DNV GL said it is the only accredited provider of this training, which was started last year and is available to more than 2,000 ESRs working across the industry. It is the first recognized standard applied to any safety representative training since the creation of the basic course, introduced in 1989.

29 Apr 2014

Offshore Energy Timeline:1806-2014

1806  - Spring pole cable drilling developed in US. 1844  - Fluid circulating rotary well drilling patented in England. 1845  - Circulated fluid used to remove drill cuttings for first time. 1860  - Fluid circulation rotary diamond coring drill developed in France. 1869 – T homas Fitch Rowland  patents  a “submarine drilling apparatus,” a fixed, working platform for drilling offshore to a depth of almost 50 feet. The anchored tower had telescoping legs, similar to modern offshore platforms. 1878  - First bulk oil tanker begins operation in the Caspian Sea. 1891  - First ocean-going tanker launched. 1897  - Wells drilled off piers in Summerland, Calif. 1905 – Oil discovered in the Caddo Pine Island field in Lousiana. 1911  -  Gulf Refining Co.

29 Jan 2014

Aberdeen Conference Examines Human Risk

Risk management experts from around the world will gather in Aberdeen on March 5 for a conference that will set the agenda for dealing with the issue and impact of human risk in the oil and gas industry. The keynote address will be delivered by Lord Cullen of Whitekirk, who chaired the public enquiry into the Piper Alpha disaster. The outcomes of the enquiry have transformed HSE operational procedures in the North Sea and the offshore oil and gas industry worldwide. Also included in the impressive line up of speakers is David Pritchard, co-chair of the Presidential Technical Commission for the Deepwater Horizon study group (U.S.) – this being the first time a key investigator in the Macondo disaster has publicly addressed the industry in a conference/public setting.

18 Jun 2013

DNV Launches New Offshore Safety Training

DNV is to deliver new courses in offshore safety which aim to advance the critical role of elected safety representatives (ESRs) in minimizing the risk of accidents and improving safety. Following a series of successful pilot courses earlier this year, DNV is now accredited by OPITO to run courses which will be available to more than 2,000 ESRs working across the industry. This is the first recognized standard applied to any safety representative training since the creation of the basic course…

14 Jun 2013

DNV Calls For More Transparency and Better Preparation

DNV is urging the global oil and gas industry to strengthen its focus on safety risk analysis and be better prepared for incidents ahead of the Piper 25 conference. The organization will present two papers at the conference, which is a special three day event taking place at the AECC in Aberdeen from June 18-20 and will be chaired by Oil & Gas UK chief executive, Malcolm Webb. It is aimed at bringing together people from across the oil and gas industry to reflect on the lessons learnt from the tragedy of 25 years, review how far offshore safety has evolved since and to reinforce industry commitment to continuous improvement. A high turnout is expected to attend the commemorative event.

23 May 2013

U.K. Offshore Sector Welcomes EU Safety Initiative

Oil & Gas U.K. said it is pleased that a plenary vote in the European Parliament may see the introduction of a directive on offshore safety and environment. Robert Paterson, Oil & Gas U.K.’s health, safety and employment director, said: “Oil & Gas U.K. has worked hard to campaign for this directive in place of the European Commission’s original proposition of a Regulation and the very real danger to our workers’ safety that this would have brought. [Directives are addressed to member states rather than their citizens, and are therefore only legally binding upon the states themselves. Under the process known as "transposition" the directive sets the framework but the practical details of implementation are left for the member states to decide.

12 Mar 2013

OPITO Launches New Research Project

Oil and gas industry skills body OPITO has commissioned a new study which aims to identify the skills and competence gaps in offshore supervisors and how this impacts on the prevention of major safety incidents. Researchers at Robert Gordon University are undertaking in-depth interviews with current, former and retired offshore installation managers (OIMs) with extensive experience of working in the UK Continental Shelf to gain their insights into the influence of managerial commitment to safety in the offshore industry. The announcement follows last week's comments by industry leaders at the Oil and Gas U.K. breakfast that the shortage of experienced staff is potentially jeopardizing the North Sea’s world-leading safety standards as the sector prepares for its biggest boom for 30 years.

24 Jul 2012

Specialist UK Unit Increases Post-Macondo Inspections

Laura Cameron, Partner at Pinsent Masons

- News comes amid EU attempts to change safety rules. The UK government unit responsible for monitoring offshore safety has become increasingly active in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, according to international law firm Pinsent Masons. Energy specialists at the firm say that the number of inspections carried out by the Offshore Environmental Inspectorate (OEI), part of the Department of Energy and Climate Change, have increased by over 70% since 2007. Inspections are also on course to rise by around a third since the Gulf of Mexico spill.

05 Dec 2011

Offshore Oil Spills & A Culture of Complacency

The dictionary defines “complacency” as tranquil pleasure or self-satisfaction, especially when uncritical or unwarranted. Groups are prone to complacency when events occur as expected over an extended period of time. They let their guard down, assuming that events will continue to turn out as they have in the recent past. It is one of the most important jobs of leaders and managers to prevent their groups from falling into a culture of complacency. Otherwise, the group will be set up for failure, perhaps catastrophic.

04 Aug 2011

Expanded HOTA Facility to Hold Naming Ceremony

Lord Cullen and Linda Ellis are to be honored in the official naming ceremony of the newly-extended HOTA facilities on the training provider's Malmo Road site in Hull on Thursday, September 22, 2011. Staff members suggested ideas for the naming of the two sites on Sutton Fields Industrial Estate with the final selection being made by HOTA’s Board of Directors. It was a unanimous decision to name the buildings after Lord Cullen, long-standing supporter of HOTA and Chairman of The Piper Alpha Disaster Inquiry and Linda Ellis, General Manager of HOTA for more than 23 years.

01 Jun 2011

BMT Achieves Strong Financial Results

BMT Group Ltd, the international design, engineering and risk management consultancy, announced today that it has achieved strong financial results, despite a difficult year for the global economy and the maritime industry in particular. A turnover of £142m provided the group with an underlying operating profit of £11m in the year to 30 September 2010, £5.8m of which has been distributed to the staff through the company’s profit share schemes. Comprising 23 subsidiary companies…

04 Dec 2001

Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers Welcomes New Director

Alan Phillips replaced Barbara Fletcher as director of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. Phillips officially took up his new role on December 1. Joining the Navy straight from school, Phillips gained experience as a captain of a variety of vessels, including HMS Phoebe and HMS Endurance. He has also been involved in a number of maritime incidents including the search and rescue operation following the Piper Alpha disaster. Prior to taking voluntary retirement form the Navy in 2001, he held policy-making positions with NATO and the Royal Marines. After 13 years of service, Barbara Fletcher is retiring at the end of December. Although she hopes to maintain her links with the Institute, Barbara plans to pursue a consultancy role in the shipping industry.