Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico

The Health and Safety Executive’s Offshore Division is monitoring the situation in the Gulf of Mexico following the fatal explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in April 2010.

British regulators are in contact with their counterparts in the United States – the Minerals Management Service (MMS) – to understand the cause of the incident and whether there are implications for safety at offshore operations on the UK continental shelf.

The Deepwater Horizon was drilling in a water depth of 5000ft with the oil reservoir at 18000ft.

There are some similar deepwater wells in the UK.  A safety case regime exists with specific safeguards including:

• A requirement for written safety cases to be prepared by the operator, and then accepted by HSE, for all mobile offshore drilling rigs operating in the UK.
• A system of well notification, where HSE reviews well design and procedures.
• A requirement for the design and construction of a well to be examined by an independent and competent specialist.
• A scheme of independent verification of offshore safety critical equipment such as blowout preventers to ensure they are fit for purpose.
• Checks that workers involved in well operations have received suitable information, instruction, training and supervision.
• Offshore inspections of well control and integrity arrangements, and related safety issues, by specialist inspectors from HSE’s Offshore Division.
• Weekly drilling reports submitted to HSE by operators.

HSE is a member of the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Advisory Group (OSPRAG) and two of its specialist review groups: Technical (covering Well Engineering, Operations and Control) and European Issues. OSPRAG’s safety remit is to monitor and review information from the Deep Water Horizon incident to facilitate the implementation of pertinent recommendations on the UK Continental Shelf. HSE is working alongside other members to review emerging findings and benchmark relevant aspects of well design, examination and control. Following publication of the OSPRAG Technical Review Group Interin Report, HSE has written to all offshore duty holders to ensure that the lessons from Deepwater Horizon are being fully considered by the UK industry.

HSE has formed an internal Deepwater Horizon Review Group which aims to review the findings from the investigations into the Deepwater Horizon incident and the Montara blowout: to share information which is relevant to the work of HSE; and to make recommendations as necessary with regard to the control of wells and the safety of the exploitation of offshore oil and gas in the UK. The group’s responsibilities include the following actions:

• To review significant Deepwater Horizon reports and recommendations from US Government sources and the emerging findings from OSPRAG, and benchmark them against current UK health and safety requirements.
• To review the Montara blowout  report and recommendations and benchmark them against current UK health and safety requirements.
• To come to a view on the significance of Deepwater and Montara safety proposals where the recommendations go beyond current UK requirements.
• To present options and make recommendations where it appears that there would be a health and safety benefit in making changes to the UK requirements.
• To consider the need for any directed inspection project in the UK sector and make recommendations.
• To share information and cooperate with regulatory colleagues such as DECC, other North Sea and international regulators, and groups such as the  International Regulators’ Forum and the North Sea Offshore Authorities Forum.

Email: Deepwater.Horizon.Review@hse.gsi.gov.uk