The supervision of health and safety on fixed offshore installations and mobile offshore units in the Danish sector of the North Sea involves granting approvals and permits for design, commissioning and modifications that impact the risk of major accidents, as well as for the decommissioning of offshore installations; see box 4.13.
Box 4.13
Approvals and permits under the Offshore Safety Act
The overall design of a production installation must be approved according to section 27 of the Offshore Safety Act prior to detailed project design and con-struction.
Before oil or gas production can commence, the installation must have an operat-ing permit in accordance with section 28 of the Offshore Safety Act. Similarly, a mobile offshore unit, such as a drilling rig, must have an operating permit prior to use in Danish territory.
In the case of significant modifications to existing installations, the operating company (see box 4.4) must apply for a permit under section 29 of the Offshore Safety Act. And finally, when decommissioning a fixed offshore installation, the licensee must apply for a permit under section 31 of the Offshore Safety Act.
In 2009, the DEA granted the following approvals and permits for fixed installations and mobile units as well as a pipeline in the Danish sector of the North Sea:
The Halfdan Field
In 2009, a permit was granted to carry out modifications to the Halfdan CA platform in the Halfdan Field in connection with the hook-up of four new wells.
Number
Significant releases Major releases
04 05 06 07 08 09
40
30
20
10
0
Fig. 4.4 Accidental hydrocarbon gas releases, 2004-2009
A permit was granted for the manning of Halfdan BA and Halfdan BB with up to 27 people while the drilling rig Energy Endeavour was placed at the HBB platform.
In addition, a permit was granted for the commissioning of the new Halfdan BB wellhead module. In September 2009, a permit was granted for the commissioning of a temporary lifeboat on the HBA platform. The lifeboat will later be relocated and used on the new HBD platform, which is expected to be commissioned in 2011. In November 2009, a permit was granted for the manning of Halfdan BA and Halfdan BB with up to 45 people, which corresponds to the capacity of the temporary lifeboat.
Finally, a permit was granted for the establishment of an 11.4 km 20” multiphase pipeline between Halfdan D (the HDA platform) and the Dan FG offshore installa-tions to replace a damaged pipeline. A permit was also granted in accordance with sec tion 31 of the Offshore Safety Act for the dismantling of the existing damaged pipeline segment.
The Siri Field
In August 2009, cracks were found in a console supporting the well module on the Siri platform (see box 4.6), for which reason the manning of the Siri platform was reduced to a maximum of 12 people. When an overview had been provided of the extent of the cracks, a permit was granted for increasing the manning to its normal level (60 people) on the platform itself. A permit was also granted for time-limited work in the wellhead area where the pipelines from the Nini and Cecilie Fields link up to the off-shore installation. The permit for work in the wellhead area was extended on several occasions from October to November 2009, because no developments in the cracks could be identified during the period of observation and because risk assessments indicated that it was safe to work in the wellhead area, subject to certain specified conditions. In December 2009, a permit was granted for the installation of a tempo-rary supporting structure for the production pipelines on the Siri offshore installation.
The temporary supporting structure will be placed on the seabed.
In December 2009, an operating permit was granted for the Nini B platform, and in this connection a permit was also granted for modifications to the existing Nini platform.
The Gorm Field
A permit for modifications was granted in 2009 in connection with the installation of a condensate separator on the Gorm F platform in the Gorm Field.
The South Arne Field
Two permits were granted for modifications in the South Arne Field in 2009. For one thing, passive fire protection has been removed from some pressure vessels and a sprin-kler system has been installed. In addition, two lifeboats have been replaced with two new boats with reinforced hulls of the same type and manufacture. The lifeboats have been replaced with the aim of improving safety conditions during use and training.
The Tyra Field (including the Harald Field)
Four permits were granted for modifications in the Tyra Field in 2009. One of these permits was granted for the final phase of the low-pressure project in the Harald Field. Furthermore, a permit was granted for the ENSCO 70 drilling rig to be stationed in the Harald Field. A permit was granted for the further development of a well on Tyra East, and finally a permit was also granted in 2009 for the relocation of lifeboats.
Box 4.14
Areas of responsibility of Danish authorities offshore
The DEA is the authority responsible for health and safety on offshore installations. In this context “offshore installations” refers to installations for the exploration for and produc-tion of oil and gas from the subsoil below the seabed. Offshore wind farms do not fall within this definition.
“Safety” refers to the process and structural safety of installations and equipment as well as safety at workplaces and during work performance. “Health” refers to health conditions in the working environment and other health-related situations, including stays on offshore installations. Offshore installations are not covered by the Wor king Environment Act and therefore also fall outside the remit of the Danish Working Environment Authority.
Besides the DEA, a number of other authorities supervise health, safety and environment on offshore installations, of which the most important – apart from the DEA – are listed below.
Danish Maritime Authority
The Danish Maritime Authority has been granted authority for the following areas under the Offshore Safety Act:
•
Design, strength, buoyancy, fitting-out and equipment of a maritime nature on drilling rigs and other mobile units.•
Fitting-out of the treatment room (“hospital”) on mobile units, such as drilling rigs, including drugs cabinets.•
Rescue appliances and associated launch arrangements on fixed offshore installa tions and mobile offshore units.•
Diving operations, including divers’ equipment and professional diving activities.These areas of responsibility are more specifically defined in an agreement between the DEA and the Danish Maritime Authority. The agreement can be found on the DEA’s website, www.ens.dk.
Danish Environmental Protection Agency
•
Marine discharges from offshore installations.•
Emergency response to marine pollution, such as oil spills, from offshore installations.•
Environmental measures on offshore installations, such as spill trays.Danish National Board of Health
•
Training requirements for offshore medic.•
Treatment room (“hospital”) on fixed installations: fitting-out and equipment.•
Radioactive sources (Danish National Institute of Radiation Hygiene).Danish Civil Aviation Administration (CAA-DK)
•
Helicopter safety, including helidecks.•
Manning, fire-fighting, communications equipment and other helideck equipment.The South Jutland Police
•
Investigation of serious accidents and fatalities on offshore installations.Danish Veterinary and Food Administration
•
Food safety.The Dan Field
In 2009, one permit was granted for major modifications to the existing installations in the Dan Field in accordance with section 29 of the Offshore Safety Act. The permit concerns the removal of a riser with its associated protective casing on the Dan B installation.
Via a pipeline, the riser connected the Dan B installation to the Dan E installation, where hydrocarbon production has now been suspended. The pipeline has therefore been decommissioned and the connection to Dan B is now redundant. In addition to providing space on the already compact installation, the removal of the unused equip-ment has made ongoing maintenance easier.
Mobile units
Noble George Sauvageau, ENSCO 70 and ENSCO 71 were granted new operating permits in 2009. Mærsk Resolute was granted a permit for modifications in connec-tion with combined operaconnec-tions on the Nini installaconnec-tions. Mærsk Resolute was a granted an operating permit later in the year for work at the South Arne installation.
COOPERATION REGARDING OFFSHORE HEALTH AND SAFETY