BP IS implementing tough new deepwater drilling standards in the US Gulf of Mexico, which it says exceed the latest rules laid down by the American authorities.
The company has written to Michael Bromwich, director of the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), detailing its voluntary code.
Group chief executive Bob Dudley said BP was determined to learn from last year’s disastrous Macondo blow-out.
“We believe the commitments we have outlined will promote greater levels of safety and preparedness in deepwater drilling,” he said.
Core to the new code are:
BP will use and will require its contractors involved in drilling operations to use subsea blowout preventers (BOPs) equipped with no fewer than two blind shear rams and a casing shear ram, on all drilling rigs under contract to the company for deepwater service operating in dynamic position mode.
With respect to moored drilling rigs under contract for deepwater drilling service using subsea BOPs, the preventer will be equipped with two shear rams, which will include at least one blind shear ram and either an additional blind shear ram or a casing shear ram.
Each time a subsea BOP from a moored or dynamically positioned drilling rig is brought to the surface and testing and maintenance are conducted, BP will require a third party to verify that the testing and maintenance of the preventer is performed in accordance with manufacturer recommendations and industry recommended practice (API RP 53).
BP will require that laboratory testing of cement slurries, for primary cementing of casing and exposed hydrocarbon-bearing zones relating to drilling operations of deepwater wells, be conducted or witnessed by a company engineer competent to evaluate such laboratory testing, or a competent third party independent of the cement provider.
BP has committed to providing laboratory results to BOEMRE “within a reasonable period of time”.
The company’s oil spill response plan (OSRP) will include information about enhanced measures for responding to a spill in open water, near-shore response and shoreline spill response based on lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
In addition, BP is setting up a real-time drilling operations centre in Houston and assessing and improving well control competencies.
Furthermore, the company has pledged to work in collaboration with groups like Clean Gulf Associates and the Marine Spill Response Corporation to augment and enhance industry response technology and capabilities.
It will also provide ongoing support to the Marine Well Containment Company in the form of containment knowledge, equipment and staff.
Further collaboration commitments are being made with BOEMRE, the Ocean Energy Safety Advisory Committee, the Centre for Offshore Safety and others in a joint technology programme focusing on BOP systems.
Finally, BP says it will also share its experience of simultaneous operations which have incorporated the unprecedented use of remotely operated vehicles and close-quarter management of marine response vessels and activities.