An internal investigation by Norwegian oil company Statoil into a gas leak on the Gudrun platform as been classified as the ‘highest degree of seriousness’.
The report into the incident, which happened in February, found the outcome could have been fatal if anyone had been exposed to the leak.
A spokesman said the a gas leak of its size represented a ‘major incident potential’ if ignited.
On February 18, noise and vibrations were reported on the Gudrun platform and shortly afterwards hydrocarbons were confirmed in the process module.
A 2mm wide crack extending 90% across the circumference of the two-inch pipeline was discovered.
It was found condensate has leaked from the pipeline and resulted in gas distribution.
Øystein Arvid Håland, senior vice president of safety and sustainability of Development and Production Norway, said:“The condensate leak on Gudrun was serious with major incident potential.
“Statoil is working systematically on gas leak prevention, and the learnings from this incident shall be translated into specific actions. We must ensure that these efforts help prevent future incidents.”
The internal investigation found the crack was the result of fatigue and overload.
It also found that “an under-dimensioned level valve led to vibrations in the valve itself and in the surrounding piping system during regular plant operation.”
Bente Aleksandersen, senior vice president of the operations south cluster of Development and Production Norway, said the gas detectors recorded the leak, ignition sources were disconnected and the deluge system started automatically, as did the pressure relief system and the emergency shutdown system.
He added:“I am glad that no one was injured.
“The investigation gives us valuable information to learn from and it is our responsibility to use this information both in Statoil and towards the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSAN) and other players in the industry to prevent a recurrence of this type of incident. When the leak occurred, the emergency response system functioned as intended.”
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