Triangle’s incident management team stands down at Cliff Head

Triangle Energy has stood down its incident management team (IMT) following a low-level spill at the Cliff Head Alpha platform offshore Australia.

An interruption of production occurred on July 24 at the Cliff Head Alpha platform located in Australia’s offshore Perth Basin.

Severe weather and sea conditions caused a small crack in the flow meter on the CH6 Well resulting in a loss of produced fluid (a mix of water and oil) and the interruption to production. The incident was classified as a low-level oil spill, in the range of zero to 10,000 liters.

Triangle reported last Thursday that no hydrocarbons were sighted in the marine environment or shoreline as of 15:00 hours on July 26, following aerial and shoreline surveillance.

The company said at the time that the environmental impact would be negligible due to the containment of produced fluid on the platform itself and the extreme sea conditions which naturally dissipate this type of fluid.

Triangle said on Monday that, following the requirements in its Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (OPEP) and conducting the required safety and environmental assessments, it stood down its Incident Management Team (IMT).

After satisfying safety and environmental requirements and finding no evidence of hydrocarbons in the marine environment, the decision to have the IMT stood down was made late in the afternoon of Friday, July 27.

Triangle’s managing director, Rob Towner, said: “Based on our satellite tracking buoy data, trajectory modeling, and in conjunction with the Department of Transport, multiple teams of trained personnel were deployed to cover approximately 20 kilometers of shoreline on foot.

“In addition, multiple aerial surveillance flights covered the ocean and shoreline. We are pleased to report that after extensive monitoring, no observations of hydrocarbons have been sighted and we have been able to stand down our IMT.

“This reaffirms Triangle’s belief that the vast majority of produced fluid remained on the platform itself and any amount which entered the marine environment was negligible and most likely dispersed naturally in the rough seas. Production at Cliff Head remains shut-in whilst the appropriate preparations are completed for a restart.”

The company added that it would continue to liaise with Regulatory Authorities and monitor and assess the situation, as it focuses on operational tasks in order to bring the incident to a satisfactory conclusion.