Offshore safety body spots irregularities on Equinor’s Njord A platform

Norwegian offshore safety watchdog, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), has found irregularities during an audit of Equinor’s Njord A platform.

The offshore safety body said on Tuesday that the audit, conducted from November 11 to 13, 2018, was focused on materials handling, lifting equipment, and the working environment.

The audit is part of a follow-up of the modification project for Njord A and B. Njord A is currently at the Kværner Stord shipyard for modification.

Kvaerner was awarded a framework agreement for the upgrading of the Njord A semi-submersible platform for production beyond 2030.

After being in operation offshore since 1997, the Njord A platform was taken from its offshore location in the Norwegian Sea to shore. It arrived at Kvaerner’s Stord yard in August 2016 for full upgrading of hull and topside. The Njord platform is scheduled to be delivered in the spring of 2020.

In addition to production from the Njord field, the platform will also receive oil and gas from the adjacent Bauge, Hyme, and Fenja fields.

PSA added on Tuesday that the objective of the audit was to verify that Equinor was using the opportunity for improvements within materials handling and the working environment for the facilities at Njord A.

The audit identified non-conformities regarding deficient management of the working environment and lack of overarching materials handling philosophy.

The safety body also noted two improvement points regarding a lack of compliance measurement between new and old regulations within materials handling and organization of operationally responsible entity and the possibility of clarifying and managing prudently.

Equinor was told to report on how it intends to address the non-conformities and provide an assessment of the improvement points observed by April 4, 2019.