This part contains examples of the level of activity that HSE anticipates it will devote to the examination of safety cases and planned inspection for the offshore industry. This information has been provided to help duty holders estimate their individual charge under these regulations.
Duty holders are asked to bear in mind that these examples may not be typical of their own business and the effort expended by HSE will be dependent on the quality of the safety case submitted or the type and depth of inspection required. The time taken in each of the following examples was taken from practical experience on real installations from HSE's work recording systems and the standards of health and safety found at particular operations.
A new semi-submersible floating production unit which produces oil and gas via subsea flowlines from a number of nearby wells. Oil, produced at up to 60,000 bpd, is exported by pipeline to the shore. Gas is exported to a nearby platform at up to 40 MMscfd. Persons on board (POB) 35 - 40. The assessment process took 110 days (equivalent to 814 hours).
A Novel cylindrical Floating production Storage Offloading (FPSO) installation located in the North Sea. This installation has an oil storage capacity of 270,000 bbls with an oil process capacity of 30,000 bbls/day and water injection capacity of 20,000 bbls/day. The FPSO accommodation is designed for 47 persons. Crude oil is offloaded to a dynamically positioned shuttle tanker, no hawser is used and two offloading stations are provided. The assessment process took 150 days (equivalent to 1110 hours).
This is a new development in the Central North Sea. It is a twin jacketed structure with production and processing on one platform and quarters and utilities on the adjacent bridge linked platform. There are no drilling facilities. A number of subsea developments are tied back to the installation. Oil is produced at 48,000 bpd with natural gas liquids at 40,000 bpd. The complex has a POB of approximately 80. The assessment process took 85 days (equivalent to 629 hours).
A new normally-unattended installation on a gas field located in the Southern North Sea. The installation is controlled from a terminal onshore. The installation is capable of producing up to 50 MMscm per day. When attended, the maximum POB would be 12. The assessment process took 18 days (equivalent to 133 hours).
A fourth generation semi-submersible drilling unit with deep water drilling capabilities. POB average 90. The assessment process took 38 days (equivalent to 281 hours).
A new FPSO installation located in the Northern North Sea. This installation produces crude oil at a rate of 60,000 bpd; crude oil is offloaded to a dynamically positioned shuttle tanker. The installation is in the process of expansion and will produce 100,000 bpd. The FPSO accommodation is designed for 50 persons during normal production operations. The annual inspection work took 20 days (equivalent to 148 hours).
This is a new development in the Central North Sea. It is a twin jacketed structure with production and processing on one platform and quarters and utilities on the adjacent bridge linked platform. There are no drilling facilities. A number of subsea developments are tied back to the installation. Oil is produced at 48,000 bpd with natural gas liquids at 40,000 bpd. The complex has a POB of approximately 80 exporting oil and gas. The annual inspection work took 50 days (equivalent to 370 hours).
A fourth generation semi-submersible drilling unit with deep water drilling capabilities. POB average 90. The annual inspection work took 32 days (equivalent to 237 hours).
A small established gas field installation located in the Southern North Sea and producing about 10 MMscfd. The installation includes an accommodations module with a POB of 20 approximately. The annual inspection work took 27 days (equivalent to 200 hours).
A jack-up drilling unit with POB average 90. The annual inspection work took 26 days (equivalent to 192 hours).
An existing large fixed oil and gas production installation in the Northern North Sea. The installation includes drilling facilities and accommodation modules producing oil and gas. On average, the installation produces 10,000 bpd of oil and 20 MMscfd of gas. The annual installation has a POB of approximately 100. The inspection work took 26 days (equivalent to 192 hours).
A third generation semi-submersible drilling unit with deep water and HPHT drilling capabilities. POB average 65. The annual inspection work took 30 days (equivalent to 222 hours).
A new normally unattended installation on a gas field located in the Southern North Sea. The installation is controlled from a terminal onshore. The installation is capable of producing up to 50 MMscmd. When attended, the maximum POB would be 12. The annual inspection work took 5 days (equivalent to 37 hours).
