US operator Apache has been hit with a safety notice for operations on one of its North Sea platforms.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has handed the firm an improvement notice for the Beryl Alpha installation, 180 miles north-east of Aberdeen.
It states that the company has not carried out all appropriate verification activities for well integrity, well intervention and drilling since November 2014.
As a result, the company “has not demonstrated that performance standards for safety and environmental critical elements have been independently verified”.
HSE said the verification “should and could have been done” before or at the start of the current 2018 drilling campaign.
The notice was handed to Apache on May 11. The company has until July 6 to comply.
The HSE improvement notice states: “You have not undertaken all verification activities on well integrity, well intervention, and drilling since November 2014.
“In particular, you have undertaken no offshore verification activity on well integrity, well intervention and drilling, despite drilling on well TP6 on Rig 2 on 24/3/16 and workover operations on Rig 1 on 3/9/16, taking place on Beryl Alpha.
“The well integrity, well intervention and drilling related verification activities should and could have been done before or at the start of your current 2018 drilling campaign.
“You have therefore not demonstrated that performance standards for safety and environmental critical elements have been independently verified and that any deficiencies have been dealt with in a timely manner.”
A spokeswoman for Apache said: “Apache North Sea, as operator, confirms receipt of an improvement notice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) relating to some verification activities following a scheduled inspection on the Beryl Alpha platform.
“Apache were actively progressing these verification activities in advance of the improvement notice being issued and have since brought the completion dates of these forward. We will continue to communicate our progress to the HSE until the matter has been resolved.”
Recommended for you
