There are a large number of subsea facilities installed on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, and with projects under development and discoveries being made, a further increase is expected going forward. Equipment on the seabed is required to be of robust design that prevents leaks, but experience shows that leaks occur, both large and small.
Leaks from subsea facilities have the potential to become major accidents and there are requirements to have in place equipment, routines and systems for detecting any leaks. Over time, subsea equipment technology has developed, as have the accompanying standards and guidelines. There are now a number of technological solutions that, individually or as part of a system, are able to detect different types of leaks in terms of size, location and what is leaking.
The study shows the value of performing risk assessments early in the project phase and of cooperation between all relevant parties in order to effectively utilise available technical solutions.