OFFSHORE DISASTERS

Represented by :• Ahmed Taha• Mayar Mohamed• Nouran Maged

Contents• Introduction• WOAD: World Offshore Accident Databank• Accident Analysis• The Bravo Blow-out Accident• The Piper Alpha Disaster• Deepwater Horizon

Introduction• The background historical information on major accidents in the offshore oil

and gas production are very important to serve as background for WOAD “ World Offshore Accident Databank “

• Attention is focused on major accidents, taken to be those that have resulted in significant numbers of fatalities, asset damage and environmental pollution.

WOAD: World Offshore Accident Databank, DNV

The purposes of the WOAD is : 1. To perform a preliminary survey on the sources of information .2. To analysis a number of “landmark” accidents , such as the Deepwater

Horizon and Piper Alpha accident , and review the lessons learned from these accidents.

3. To perform an analysis of accidents collected in the WOAD database and investigate the accident statistics of the sector.

WOAD: World Offshore Accident Databank, DNV

WOAD: World Offshore Accident Databank, DNV

Within the WOAD database the records are classified in 4 categories:

1. Insignificant events 2. Near-misses 3. Incidents /Hazardous

situations4. Accidents

• Insignificant events represent hazardous situation, with very minor consequences. In most of the cases no damages were registered and repairs were not required. Small spills of crude oil and chemicals are also included in this category. Included are also very minor personnel injuries, i.e. "lost time incidents".

• Near-misses represent events that might have or could have developed into an accidental situation. No damage and no repairs were required also in these cases.

• Incidents represent hazardous situation which have not developed into an accidental situation. Low degree of damage was recorded, but repairs/replacements usually were required. This type includes also events causing minor injuries to personnel or health injuries.

• Accidents represent hazardous situation which have developed into an accidental situation. In addition, for all situations/events causing fatalities and severe injuries this type of event has been used.

CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS

EVENTS IN CHAIN

Top Offshore Incidents Listed in Decreasing Order of Fatalities Involved: Worldwide, 1970 – 2007

Breakdown of Fatalities by Year Period: Worldwide, 1970 – 2007

INJURY TYPES

INJURY LOCATION

The Bravo Blow-out Accident (1977)• This accident was North Sea's biggest oil spill.

The Ekofisk Bravo blowout occurred on 22 April 1977 during a workover on the B-14 production well, when about 10,000 feet of production tubing was being pulled.

• The production Christmas tree valve stack had been removed prior to the job and the BOP had not yet been installed.

• The well then kicked and an incorrectly installed downhole safety valve failed. • This resulted in the well blowing out with an uncontrolled release of oil and gas. • The personnel were evacuated without injury via lifeboats and were picked up

by a supply vessel. • The total spill estimate between 80,000 bbls and 126,000 bbls.

The Bravo Blow-out Accident (1977)

• The official inquiry into the blowout determined that human errors were the major factor which led to the mechanical failure of the safety valve.

• The blowout was significant because it was the first major North Sea oil spill. Also significant was that the ignition of the oil and gas was avoided and that there were no fatalities during the evacuation.

The Bravo Blow-out Accident (1977)

The Piper Alpha Disaster

History of Piper AlphaPiper Alpha was once Britain's biggest single oil and gas producing platform, bringing more than 300,000 barrels of crude a day – 10% of the country's total – from below the seabed 125 miles north-east of Aberdeen.

History of Piper AlphaIt was owned by a consortium of foreign companies including Texaco and operated by Los Angeles-based Occidental,

which sold off its UK interests soon after the disaster to concentrate on the US and Middle East.

Discovery of Oil

Oil was discovered at the Piper field in 1973 and was brought onstream three years later.

By 1980 the steel platform was modified to also take gas and was connected by pipeline to the Orkney Islands.

Safety on Piper Alpha

The original modules on the structure were carefully located, with the staff quarters kept well away from the most dangerous production parts of the platform.

But this safety feature was diluted when the gas compression units were installed next to the central control room.

The Accident

• Further dangers arose when Occidental decided to keep the platform producing oil and gas as it set about a series of construction, maintenance and upgrade works.

• A lack of communication at a shift change meant staff were not aware that they should not use a key piece of pipework which had been sealed with a temporary cover and no safety valve

• Gas leaked out and ignited while firewalls that would have resisted fire on an oil platform failed to cope with the ensuing gas explosion.

The Accident

• When the platform blew 167 out of 228 workers either on the rig or one of the safety standby vessels patrolling it died.

• The platform was completely destroyed and it took almost three weeks for the fire to be brought under control by famed American wild well controller, Red Adair.

The AccidentThe accident cost the Lloyd's insurance market more than £1bn making it the largest insured man-made catastrophe. Occidental paid out $100m (£66m) to families of the deceased but escaped any kind of criminal or civil sanction. No one was made personally liable in the courts either.

Deepwater Horizon

• On the evening of 20 April 2010, a gas release and subsequent explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig working on the Macondo exploration well for BP in the Gulf of Mexico.• The fire burned for 36 hours before the rig

sank, and hydrocarbons leaked into the Gulf of Mexico before the well was closed and sealed.

• The accident involved a well integrity failure, followed by a loss of hydrostatic control of the well. • This was followed by a failure to control the flow from the well with

the blowout preventer (BOP) equipment, which allowed the release and subsequent ignition of hydrocarbons. Ultimately, the BOP emergency functions failed to seal the well after the initial explosions

How much oil was spilled ?In January 2015, the district court found that 3.19 million barrels of oil were discharged into the Gulf of Mexico and therefore subject to a Clean Water Act penalty. In addition, the court found that BP was not grossly negligent in its source control efforts

• Extensive oil spill response : At its peak in 2010, the response effort involved the mobilization of approximately 48,000 people, the coordination of approximately 6,500 vessels and the deployment of approximately 2,500 miles (13.5 million feet) of boom to contain or absorb the oil. As at the end of December 2014, BP has spent more than $14 billion and workers have devoted more than 70 million personnel hours on response and clean-up activities.

• In July 2015, BP agreed to pay $18.7 billion in fines, the largest corporate settlement in U.S. history

REPRESENTED BY :• AHMED TAHA• MAYAR MOHAMED• NOURAN MAGED