Offshore regulator finds safety issues on Ringhorne

Norwegian offshore safety regulator, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), has found non-conformities related to electrical facilities on the Ringhorne platform offshore Norway, which is operated by Vår Energi.

Vår Energi was formed in December 2018 through a combination of Point Resources and Eni Norge.

The safety authority said on Thursday that the audit had been conducted from 19 to 23 November 2018, focusing on the company’s operation of electrical and associated facilities at Ringhorne.

The objective of the audit was to monitor how the operator is complying with the technical, operational and organizational regulatory requirements for electrical and associated facilities on the Ringhorne platform.

The regulator said that its impression of the areas investigated was primarily positive. The responsible person for the electrical facilities appeared to have been given the necessary framework conditions for performing his role, the PSA said.

Furthermore, the company’s work appeared to be targeted and focused on relevant issues.

“We recorded a generally good standard for the installation and equipment in the inspected areas,” said the regulator.

However, the company’s follow-up of investigated performance standards appeared to be deficient and the PSA also registered quality issues in this respect. In addition, certain challenges relating to the follow-up of electrical safety were noted.

Non-conformities were identified relating to ignition source control, emergency lighting, CAP panels in the control room and alarm logging station, electrical installations, and work in and operation of electrical facilities.

The PSA also observed improvement points relating to the emergency power system, temporary equipment and testing of the heating cable installation.

The regulator has now asked Vår Energi to report on how the non-conformities will be addressed and also asked the company for its assessments of the improvement points the regulator observed.

The deadline for feedback has been set for March 4, 2019.

The Ringhorne field is located in PL 027 and 169 E in the North Sea, about 9 kilometers northeast of the Balder FPSO. The field is developed with a platform with initial processing and water injection capabilities. Production from the field started in 2003.