Emergency-Response System Enhances Safety in Ultrasour Offshore Environments
Chris Carpenter_
This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 229379, “Enhancing Safety in Ultrasour Offshore Environments: A Comprehensive Emergency-Response System,” by Diego Espin Tobar, ADNOC. The paper has not been peer-reviewed.
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The complete paper presents the emergency-response system implemented on the operator’s Hail and Ghasha (H&G) project during the execution phase. It integrates digital personnel-on-board (POB) accounts, real-time marine activity, and electronic tracking for personnel working in an ultrasour offshore environment. In combination with adequate training for the parties involved in drilling and facilities construction simultaneous operations (SIMOPS), these components are crucial for the safety of personnel when a short response time is essential.
Introduction
The H&G megaproject is a development in the Abu Dhabi offshore area within the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve. Artificial islands have been constructed to serve as drilling centers and to install the facilities required for the stabilization and transport of the ultrasour production of the G&H fields to onshore facilities for further processing. To achieve program targets, the drilling and construction of facilities is performed under SIMOPS guidelines.
While constructing and drilling in this environment, evacuation could become challenging. Each island executes between 10–20 activities daily, with several teams involved. The workforce includes approximately 140 personnel per drilling area and 300 for facilities construction per island.
The complete paper discusses the implementation of an organized emergency-response program using a coordinated approach for the safe evacuation of all personnel. The paper provides a discussion of the operator’s protocols for emergency response and crisis management, including Levels describing the criticality of response (where Level 1 represents an immediate tactical response, while Level 3 implies a more strategic response taken at higher levels of the organization, typically requiring external support coordination) and Tiers that describe a given response to specifically address loss of containment (where Tier 1 implies localized needs, while Tier 3 implies a broad response exceeding the local capacity of the project, typically requiring external support coordination).
Description and Application of Equipment and Processes
Emergency-Response Organization.
The organization has three levels of response, each with a structure that oversees the appropriate response at each Level or Tier. Thus, the response to any incident is a tiered one.
Well-Control Event.
It is imperative that the early detection of an abnormal condition is achieved. When available time is critical, the possibility of secondary events is increased because of the stress associated with making rapid decisions. This is particularly important for personnel new to the operation. For the H&G project, this application solution is based on three pillars:
- Use of available technology to monitor personnel in high-risk areas continuously and to ensure that other personnel at other locations are properly accounted for
- Coordination of marine operations with real-time position access of local and foreign vessels, also distinguishing those vessels that are operator-run, to address the extensive range of zones that could potentially be affected by toxic dispersion
- Continuous training of personnel on mustering and evacuation equipment and toxic gas refuges