PSA Norway after conducting an audit on Aker BP’s Valhall field, resulted to irregularities and safety issues. The audit took place from November 21 to December 6, 2018 and focused on how Aker BP, drilling contractor Archer, and the subcontractors planned and executed drilling and well operations for the Valhall IP water injection platform.
Vallhall IP, which entered service in 2002, was originally a water injection platform. However, today both production and injection wells are drilled from the platform. This resulted to alters in risk and barrier management.
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Moreover, the offshore safety regulator noted that the aim of the audit was to monitor how companies along with subcontractors, were in line with the regulatory requirements for planning, risk assessment, and execution of drilling and well operations as well as following up the requirements for managing major accident risk.
Also, as the audit was continuing, PSA mostly focused on decision support, criteria, and processes, as well as risk assessments, that are established and implemented to safeguard well integrity and ensure robust operations.
Specifically, the three audits that were identified were:
- Deficient establishment of a barrier management system for Valhall that matches actual conditions on the platform;
- Deficiencies in performance of functional testing of blow out preventer (BOP) and non-conformity in closing time of BOP shear ram;
- Deficiencies in well control training and exercises.
Consequently, four improvements were demanded regarding the lack of specific detailed measures in the event of planned weakness in the primary barrier during drilling into the reservoir, lack of well control procedures in the event of a major loss during drilling in the reservoir section, deficiencies in well design and well integrity, and lack of documentation of BOP shear capacity on the drill floor.
PSA ordered Aker BP to report on how the non-conformities would be addressed by March 1, 2019.
Concluding, they also requested for feedback to see further improvement.
