Canada: Near miss incident aboard Hibernia platform

An incident occurred on the HMDC-operated Hibernia offshore platform in Canada on Sunday after a drill pipe disconnected and fell unexpectedly.

Hibernia platform / Image source: Hibernia Management and Development Company
Hibernia platform / Image source: Hibernia Management and Development Company

According to Canada-Newfoundland & Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, Hibernia Management Development Company (HMDC) reported that on June 2, 2019, workers on the Hibernia Platform were in the process of lowering a drill pipe with a gantry crane to a storage location when the pipe, weighing approximately 236kg, released from its magnetic connection point.

This, C-NLOPB said, resulted in the pipe falling approximately 3.55 meters, coming to rest on the dunnage below.

There were no injuries and no personnel were in the area, consistent with protocol for gantry crane operations. However, the incident had the potential for fatality based on the Dropped Objects Prevention Scheme (DROPS) calculator, the safety body said.

“Crane operations were immediately stopped, the area was secured and the crane has been taken out of service. The C-NLOPB is monitoring HMDC’s continued investigation of the incident,”

The shareholders of Hibernia Management and Development Company are: ExxonMobil Canada (33.125%), Chevron Canada Resources (26.875%), Suncor (20%), Canada Hibernia Holding Corporation (8.5%), Murphy Oil (6.5%) and Equinor Canada (5%)


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