In mid-August, Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) carried out an audit of drilling and emergency preparedness on Equinor’s Snorre B facility, in the North Sea. The audit did not identify any non-conformities, but two improvement points.
The objective of the audit was to verify robust planning and execution of drilling and well activities and safe operation, including the technical condition of well control equipment at Snorre B.
We also verified that processes had been established to ensure compliance with the preconditions, limitations and recommendations in the emergency preparedness analysis for Snorre B and that these are communicated out to the emergency preparedness organisation, so that the operator maintains a robust and competent emergency preparedness organisation in a period of operating life extension.
The two improvement points were identified in connection with:
- Training and practising of stripping the drill string through the BOP
- System for verifying and monitoring each blowout team member’s training and competence in respect of the loss of well control
Equinor has been given a deadline of 19 September 2018 to report on how the improvement points will be addressed.
Snorre is an oil field in the Tampen area of the North Sea, around 150 kilometres west of Florø. The field has been developed using two floating integrated production facilities, Snorre A and B, and one subsea template tied back to Snorre A. Equinor is the field’s operator.
