Replies to post #1791 on The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[DewDiligence]

Why would the crew want to disarm the deadman switch?

[OakesCS]

I hear the dead man worked fine on the first control pod that was retrieved.

i heard the same thing at an SPE presentation

[DewDiligence]

Statoil Narrowly Averted Macondo-Like Disaster, Regulators Say

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703559504575630671574883034.html

›Energy Firm Barely Averted North Sea Well Disaster in May

NOVEMBER 23, 2010
By GUY CHAZAN

Norwegian police have launched an investigation into oil firm Statoil ASA after the country's oil safety watchdog said only luck averted a major blowout at a North Sea oil-drilling operation earlier this year.

The trouble Statoil encountered with the offshore platform, Gullfaks C, shows incidents like the disastrous blowout that ripped apart BP PLC's Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico last April may not be as isolated as the oil industry has said.

Statoil is one of a number of big oil companies that have been scrutinizing their safety practices in the aftermath of the Macondo blowout, which destroyed the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, killed 11 men, injured 17 others and touched off the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

The issue of whether offshore drilling can ever be safe is particularly urgent in Norway, where oil companies are eager to access unexplored Arctic waters such as those off the shore of the Lofoten Islands. Environmental groups are strongly opposed to this, fearing the potential impact of spills on what is seen as pristine wilderness.

Statoil began drilling the Gullfaks C well last November, but it quickly proved troublesome. The operation was risky, expensive, and took much longer than planned. There were three incidents when natural gas got into the well, known as a "kick." In the end, it had to be plugged and temporarily abandoned.

In May this year, about a month after BP's blowout, Statoil partially evacuated the Gullfaks C platform after it experienced recurring pressure problems at the well.

In its report, Norway's Petroleum Safety Authority described that incident as "very serious," and concluded that "only luck averted a sub-surface blowout and/or explosion, and prevented the incident from developing into a major accident."

The PSA concluded that Statoil's planning for the well was marred by "serious deficiencies." Among other things, it faulted the company for its approach to risk management, for documenting decisions, and "compliance with governing documents."

The agency ordered Statoil to investigate why mistakes were not identified during the drilling operation, and why measures adopted after earlier incidents, such as a gas blowout in 2004 at the Snorre platform that had similar causes, were not applied to the Gullfaks operation.

Bjorn Kare Dahl, a senior officer in the Norwegian police's Stavanger branch, said in an interview that the decision to investigate Statoil had come after police met PSA officials to discuss the Gullfaks well report Monday. He said such inquiries were routine in the aftermath of large-scale industrial incidents, and it was too early to say whether any criminal charges would be filed.

A Statoil spokesman, Jannik Lindbaek Jr., said the company would fully cooperate with the police. He noted that the findings from Statoil's own report into the problems at Gullfaks C were similar to those of the PSA's inquiry.

The company began a controlled shut-down of drilling and well operations at the Gullfaks field on Nov. 10. It then described the move as intended to "double-check" that the operations were in compliance with standard operating procedures.‹