New guidelines to help North Sea operators deal with rapidly aging platforms and pipelines have been drawn up through a joint project between the Health and Safety Executive and the industry.
With more than 50% of fixed platforms in the UK North Sea having exceeded their original design life, Oil and Gas UK has drawn up the new advice to help firms create a management system for their offshore infrastructure.
It follows work in collaboration with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) as part of an Ageing and Life Extension Work Group under Oil & Gas UK.
Oil & Gas UK’s health and safety policy manager, Bob Lauder, said: “There are still huge reserves of oil and gas left in the North Sea so it is vitally important we keep our infrastructure well maintained and above all, safe for the long term.
“This is a challenge that simply must be met. The alternative means premature decommissioning of key infrastructure and leaving vast valuable reserves untapped.
“There are of course many mature assets in the UK offshore sector but given that ageing is a process that needs to be managed; this guidance in fact applies to all assets irrespective of age.
“It’s important to stress that the term ‘ageing’ does not equate to ‘unsafe’ or ‘not fit for purpose’. With the right management approach, there is no reason why ageing infrastructure cannot be maintained to be operated safely and effectively well beyond its originally conceived service life.
“The industry has recognised the need to focus attention on this area and the publication and promotion of this guidance is just one aspect of a wider industry effort. Oil & Gas UK expects duty holders to adopt the guidance and integrate it into their management systems. In the longer-term, more technical work will be published around specific hardware aspects of ageing and life extension.”
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