Tag: safety measures

IT summarizes the investigative findings related to areas of BSEE responsibility On April 20, 2010, while the crew of the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) Deepwater Horizon (DWH) was finishing work after drilling the Macondo well, an undetected influx of hydrocarbons escalated to a blowout. Shortly after the blowout, hydrocarbons that had flowed onto the rig floor ignited in two separate explosions.The flowing hydrocarbons fueled a fire on the rig that continued to burn until the rig sank on April 22, 2010. These events resulted in the tragic loss of eleven lives and multiple injuries. Due to the valiant efforts of the crews on the Damon Bankston and Ramblin Wreck, 115 survivors were able to evacuate the DWH and be immediately rescued.Crews of several other vessels in the area were first responders to the scene and also provided assistance to those in need. Over a period of 87 days, almost 5 million barrels1 of oil were discharged from the Macondo well into the Gulf of Mexico resulting in the largest oil spill in U.S. history and affecting offshore and coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico.Because of the severity of the accident, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and ...

The nation must make commitment to spill prevention and response preparedness Last week the Department of the Interior released its proposed program for offshore oil and gas leasing from 2012 to 2017. The proposed program calls for potential lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico as well as in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas north and west of Alaska. This is an important time to examine the lessons we are still learning from the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The nation must make a genuine commitment to spill prevention and response preparedness, which was not the case when the BP oil blowout occurred.If the United States is truly committed to protecting our ocean and the people who depend on ocean ecosystems, then we need to take action on six key lessons: Establishing baseline science before the federal government commits to offshore leases allows for better decisions about whether, where, when and how to drill. The necessary information includes identification of Important Ecological Areas and the Environmentally Sensitive Areas specified in the federal government's "blueprint" for responding to oil spills and other hazardous substance releases. Spill prevention and response preparedness must be integrated into oil and gas leasing ...

The oil spill once again calls into question the safety of drilling The Brazilian unit of U.S. oil company Chevron Corp. (CVX) is rushing equipment to find the cause of an oil leak at the offshore Frade field, but the spill is not related to a production well and output is continuing normally, a Chevron spokeswoman said in an interview Thursday."We don't yet know the cause of the spill, but we know for sure that it is not from a production well," the spokeswoman said.The oil spill will likely once again call into question the safety of drilling for oil and natural gas far offshore after last year's Macondo disaster in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Chevron became aware of an oil slick of an undetermined size between the Frade field, about 120 kilometers off the coast of Espirito Santos state, and the nearby Roncador field operated by Brazilian state-run energy giant Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR, PETR4.BR), or Petrobras, the company said. The two fields are located in the Campos Basin offshore Brazil, where more than 90% of the country's crude oil is produced."This is not the same thing as Macondo," the spokeswoman said, adding that oil leaks from the seabed ...

Enforcing safety practices The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has stressed the importance of safety for companies in the maritime and shipbuilding sector in the free port.SBMA director Norberto Sosa, a marine and terminal operations expert, stressed that local firms should exert extra efforts to keep the industry safe and help erase the image as a disaster-prone country."We are being known for maritime disasters. I do not want that to continue. There should be visible management commitment to safety," he told representatives of maritime firms here."There are lessons to be learned in recent accidents in the shipbuilding industry, particularly the tragedy that struck the Keppel shipyard in Subic, Zambales, he said.Sosal also emphasized that business locators in the Subic Bay Freeport should place safety on equal footing with business objectives.A committee has been organized by the SBMA to conduct safety inspections of the different shipyards and drydocks in the free port.Director Wilfredo Pineda has assured locators that SBMA has done its part in enforcing safety practices, as the Subic Bay Freeport now hosts several shipbuilding and repair companies, including Hanjin Heavy Industries, Co., Ltd., the fourth largest shipbuilder in the world.Source: Manila Bulletin

Concern continues over potentially dangerous reefer containers The ITF is taking action to protect the health and safety of port workers and seafarers as concern continues over potentially dangerous reefer containers.Some 900 refrigerated units were withdrawn by shipping line Maersk last month after three fatalities were linked to maintenance work carried out on containers in Vietnam.Although as yet unconfirmed, it's thought that some reefers may have been topped up with contaminated gas causing them to be potentially explosive under certain conditions.ITF affiliates across dockers, seafarers and road and rail sections, have been informed of the potential risk attached to these units and are being advised to follow up with their local health and safety authorities.ITF dockers' section secretary Frank Leys said: "We are pleased to see that big shipping lines like Maersk have reacted quickly to this situation and we would join our US affiliate, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, in urging any companies or organisations who haven't already taken steps to alleviate this risk, to follow suit now."Seafarers' section secretary Jon Whitlow added: "We are extremely concerned for the welfare of those workers on ships who may be unaware that a defective container is being carried on board."Whilst ...

It improves the safety, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of bolting operations RBG has launched its new 'iBolt' flange integrity management software that improves the safety, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of bolting operations.Theeasy to use, web-based system provides a complete auditable record of all activity carried out on flange management workscopes from topside to subsea. Maintaining a historical database and tracking an asset's activity means trends, such as corrosion or erosion, can be identified early and preventive maintenance can be delivered. This helps ensure a safe operating environment and no loss of containment that requires costly shutdowns and repairs.An iBolt calculator application, available for Apple/Windows/Android devices, is incorporated in the system and delivers on-the-job safety benefits by calculating the correct torque and tension loads when using various lubricants. The friction coefficient of lubricants can vary greatly and the incorrect application of the lubricants to the threads of the bolts and the nut load bearing face can lead to over torquing levels that can potentially yield the bolts, over compress the gasket and distort the flange joint, all of which can lead to a loss of integrity that can endanger the operative or result in a hydrocarbon release.RBG's mechanical services team in the UKCS ...

Three deaths globally and numerous injuries and burns As thousands of potentially explosive shipping containers circulate the globe, Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) executives are rejecting the International Longshore and Warehouse Union's (ILWU) calls for safety procedures designed to protect workers on the docks and keep at-risk containers out of U.S. communities.The PMA wants to limit the isolation of refrigerated containers (also known as "reefers") to those imports only that have transited Kat Lai, Vietnam, in the past year. The ILWU wants to isolate all reefers that have transited any part of Vietnam in 2011.Despite the fact that PMA has known for over nine months that thousands of contaminated reefers are circulating among its member companies' reefer fleets, the danger to health and safety did not become public until October 2011 after three workers were killed by explosions while servicing contaminated reefers.Following the three fatalities, Maersk Inc., a PMA member company, informed the World Shipping Council's Safe Transport of Containers Working Group that reefers coming from Southeast Asia had exploded for no apparent reason.Experts in the shipping industry have known since spring that counterfeit or imitation refrigerant is being used by vendors in Vietnam to service reefers. This fake refrigerant reacts ...

Voyage Data Recorder Regulations for marine safety The Honourable DenisLebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, today announced that under new regulations, certain large passenger and cargo vessels will be required to have voyage data recorders. Similar to an airplane's black box, the equipment captures critical information to help investigations into accidents at sea."The safety of vessels is a priority for our government and we are committed to making continuous enhancements in marine safety," said MinisterLebel. "Should an accident occur, information from a vessel's voyage data recorder can be used to help investigators learn more quickly and more thoroughly the cause and what can be done to help prevent a reoccurrence."The Voyage Data Recorder Regulations will require, as of January1,2012, that new passenger vessels of 500gross tonnage or more and new cargo vessels of 3,000gross tonnage or more not engaged on an international voyage be fitted with voyage data recorders. Owners of existing passenger vessels have until July1,2015, to install the equipment, depending on their inspection schedule. The new safety measure addresses a Transportation Safety Board recommendation highlighted in its Watchlist earlier this year.The regulations also implement the voyage data recorder requirements under the International Convention for the Safety of ...

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - for maritime security and safety in the East Sea Delegates attending an international workshop in Ha Noi have underlined the role of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in curbing and managing threats to maritime security and safety in the East Sea.They shared the same view that disputes related to the East Sea were becoming more complicated as concerned parties had yet to find a common voice in efforts to settle differences.Tensions had escalated over the East Sea, the location of important shipping routes and large fisheries resources, as countries involved in territorial disputes had increased military spending to modernise their force, speakers at the workshop noted.They said UNCLOS could be applied to clarify sovereignty claims, thus restricting the seizure and construction of buildings in disputed areas and creating a legal basis for claims over territorial waters.The Law of the Sea should be considered an effective tool to protect interests among relevant sides and the most important basis for discussions. The relevant parties needed to strictly implement the UNCLOS in internal and external affairs related to the East Sea, the delegates said.Delegates and scholars ...

New pocket guide includes guidance for inspecting deck cranes, derricks and life-saving davits Lloyd's Register has published a new pocket guide to help ship owners and operators understand the importance of professional maintenance and survey preparation for marine lifting appliances.The new guide -- Survey and Examination of Ships' Lifting Appliances -- is the latest in Lloyd's Register's acclaimed and popular series of pocket guides that have been produced in conjunction with the UK P&I Club and, in this case, with the crane manufacturers, MacGregor and Liebherr."Lifting appliances need to be thoroughly examined and it is important that operators understand the seriousness and consequences of failure, as well as what they need to do to support the safety framework," Joanna Townsend, Fleet Services Manager for Lloyd's Register, said. "Poor preparation before surveys is a common problem among operators. Other issues include a lack of knowledge about rocking tests, difficulties in obtaining maintenance records and problems accessing the key areas that need to be surveyed.""These are key safety issues," said Townsend. "This pocket guide has been designed so that it is handy to use, inexpensive to produce and will be free to the industry. We highly recommend its use."The rocking test is ...