The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (on behalf of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) has published a report including an overview of measures which are specifically designed to prevent oil pollution in the Arctic marine environment from offshore petroleum activities
To be able to focus the work towards the areas that have a high impact on the risk for acute oil pollution, a risk-based approach, focusing on measures that affect the undesirable events that have the highest impact on the risk for oil pollution in the Arctic marine environment, has been applied in this project.
At a high level, the following undesirable events that may result in acute pollution have been considered relevant for Arctic offshore petroleum activity:
1. Process leak
2. Blowout
3. Riser / pipeline / subsea structure leak
4. Object on collision course
5. Damage to structure
6. Leak during loading / offloading
These undesirable events have formed the foundation for prioritising and structuring measures identified through this project. The measures have been structured according to the following themes:
- Metocean and ice conditions
- Ice management
- Drilling technology, well integrity and well control
- Pipelines and subsea structures
- Facility design
- Loading and offloading
- Communication solutions
- Human resources and competence
- Management
- Oil spill detection
- Development of new concepts for exploration and production activities
Metocean Data
Information on metocean and ice conditions is vital for safe design and operations in the offshore Arctic environment, and further research is needed, states the report. Over the years, the metocean and ice conditions for an area may change and the ice cap may be reduced. However, years with severe ice conditions cannot be neglected in the future and the importance of taking these conditions into account in the design and choice of technology and equipment is highlighted. The importance of systems for detecting ice in areas where this is no longer common or expected is also highlighted.
Pipelines and subsea structures
Much research is performed on protection of pipelines and subsea structures exposed to loading from the keel of ridges and icebergs. It is suggested that there is still a need for work to be carried out to ensure that pipelines and subsea structures will not be damaged by ice ridges and icebergs. There is still also a need for work to be carried out to detect leaks in pipelines and subsea structures.
Facility design
Much research has been performed related to ice loads on facilities. At this stage, it is not possible to conclude whether all these research activities will result in development of an inherently safe design. It is recommended that the need for disconnection options is always evaluated for floating units in ice loading situations. Offshore loading systems that can operate during normal ice drift conditions have been identified. It is, however, noted that during strong ice drift the loading operations can be disrupted. Based on the information identified, it seems as though offshore loading systems that can operate during icing conditions do not exist
The report demonstrates that extensive research and development initiatives have been ongoing for several decades related to enhancing the safety of offshore petroleum activities in the Arctic and cold climate regions. Some observations, recommendations and suggestions for further work have been provided for each of the themes covered by the report. The report, prepared by Proactima, is an Arctic Council initiative, the Task Force On Pollution Prevention (TFOPP).
