Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority has published its key safety priorities for the North Sea in 2016, urging operators to ensure assets are secure as they enter late life production.
The authority, which is responsible for implementing and enforcing safety policy in the Norwegian Continental Shelf has identified four main priorities headed by safe late life of mature assets.
The others are priorities are: management responsibility; the far north; and barriers to safe operation.
The PSA wants the industry to ensure challenges related to late life do not come into conflict with prudent operation. Challenges related to HSE
must be identified and followed up in good time before the late-life phase, and this work must be integrated in all stages of field planning, said the PSA.
A number of the challenges facing the industry call for collaboration between the players and between companies, unions and government.
In the far north, the industry must manage the most important contributors to major accident risk, harm to the natural environment, and the working environment related to operations in the Arctic.
Failure or weakening of barriers is a general cause of incidents, and represents a “constant challenge” where well integrity and gas leaks are
concerned.
During 2016, we will give particular emphasis to following up operational and organisational elements in barriers, well integrity and control, hydrocarbon leaks.
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