The audit was conducted from 27 August to 5 September 2024.

Background

Stability is a key safety feature on floating facilities. Comprehensive and robust management of the risks and barriers associated with stability and stability incidents is important to help prevent major accidents. Prevention of major accidents is a prerequisite for safe operations.

The audit forms part of an audit series across operators, looking specifically at risk and barrier management. Similar audits were previously conducted at Norne (2020) and Alvheim (2021).

Objective

The objective of the audit was to monitor that Equinor has comprehensive and robust management of risks and barriers associated with the facility’s stability so that failure, hazard and accident situations are handled properly should they arise. The company’s work in planning, training, execution and evaluation are elements of a holistic approach to such management.

Havtil has followed up the Norne audit in 2020 in subsequent activities, and has been presented with improvements concerning Equinor’s work on this. This audit also aimed to verify that this improvement work has been continued on one of Equinor’s facilities.

Result

No regulatory non-conformities were identified during the audit, but we observed two factors that we have chosen to categorise as improvement points. These concerned:

  • Planning and prioritisation of improvements to barrier weaknesses
  • Procedures for handling failure, hazard and accident situations related to stability incidents

What happens now?

We have asked Equinor to give us their assessment of the improvement points observed by 4 November 2024.

Snorre

Snorre is a field in the Tampen area in the northern part of the North Sea. The water depth in the area is 300-350 metres. Snorre was discovered in 1979, and the plan for development and operation (PDO) was approved in 1988. The field is developed with the facilities Snorre A, located in the southern part of the field, Snorre UPA, located centrally on the field and Snorre B located in the northern part of the field. Snorre A is a floating tension-leg platform for accommodation, drilling and processing. Snorre UPA is a subsea production facility tied-back to Snorre A.  Snorre B is a semi-submersible integrated drilling, processing and accommodation facility. Production from Snorre started in 1992.

PDO for the Snorre Expansion Project was approved in 2018. This subsea development will be tied-back to Snorre A and consists of six subsea templates, each with four wells.

Source: norskpetroleum.no