Offshore safety watchdog to investigate ‘Maersk Invincible’ incident

Norway’s offshore safety body, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), has decided to launch an investigation into an incident involving dropped objects on the Maersk Invincible drilling rig.

The PSA said on Wednesday that the incident on the Maersk Invincible occurred on November 11, 2018.

The jack-up rig, owned by Maersk Drilling, is currently working for Aker BP on the Valhall field in the Norwegian North Sea.

According to the safety body, the incident occurred in the drilling module. Two swell packer stands came loose from the fingerboard, slid from one side of the derrick to the other, and ended up in a gangway.

The safety agency added that each of the stands, made up from lengths of drill pipe, is specified as weighing a tonne.

Fortunately, no injuries have been reported as a result of the incident. A PSA team is now traveling out to the rig to conduct the investigation.

Objectives of this investigation include clarifying the course of events, describing the actual and potential consequences, and identifying the direct and underlying causes in order to contribute to learning lessons and experience transfer.

As for the rig, the Maersk Invincible is an XL Enhanced ultra-harsh environment jack-up rig. It was delivered by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) in South Korea in January 2017. The rig arrived in Stavanger, Norway, in late March 2017.

Aker BP received consent from the PSA to use the Maersk Invincible rig for production drilling, well operations, and as a flotel on the Valhall Flank North and Valhall Flank South fields back in August 2018.