Emergency Response readiness avoids drilling delay

Client Challenge

During a thorough rig intake process we were conducting for our client, one of Europe's largest independent exploration and production companies, they were made aware that the drilling contractor, and the MODU it was contracting, had been visited by the regional regulator and potential Emergency Response (ER) issues had been identified. If the issues were not remedied, the required consent to drill would be unlikely to be granted, resulting in a costly delay.

How we helped

We conducted an ER assessment to provide the necessary assurance that the drilling contractor had suitable measures in place to provide an effective response to all reasonably foreseeable ER situations that could arise during the upcoming drilling campaign.

The analysis that was necessary to provide the assurance included:

• ER training
• ER competence assessments
• Comparative analysis of the content and application of ER documentation with best practise and legislative compliance.
• Review of the maintenance of safety critical equipment, and the associated performance standards (including verification).
• Visual (and functional where possible) check of ER equipment such as fixed and mobile manual and automatic fire-fighting systems, helicopter rescue arrangements, triage, contingency command centre, communications equipment, PPE, etc.
• Desk top drills, from scenarios such as man overboard (MOB) to more complex well and ballast control issues.
• 'Live' drills, allowing the assessors to examine the installation's state of ER 'readiness'.

Powerful results

The client did not suffer any delays in gaining consent to drill and the MODU went on to complete a safe and successful drilling campaign.

As with so much of our critical HSSE work, the success of our involvement can be measured in what did not happen and what the planned provision of ER resilience did not allow to transpire.