Geology, geography and global energy

Scientific and Technical Journal

Offshore oil and gas platforms: modern conditions and causes of accidents

2012. №4, pp. 140-146

Barmin Aleksandr N. - D.Sc. in Geography, Professor, Astrakhan State University, 20a Tatishchev st., Astrakhan, Russian Federation, 414000, abarmin60@mail.ru

Tatarintsev Sergey A. - Post-graduate student, Astrakhan State University, 20a Tatishchev st., Astrakhan, Russian Federation, 414000, abarmin60@mail.ru

Kolchin Yevgeniy A. - C.Sc. in Geography, Assistant Professor, Astrakhan State University, 20a Tatishchev st., Astrakhan, Russian Federation, 414000, eakol4in@rambler.ru

Shuvaev Nikolaj S. - C.Sc. in Geography, Assistant Professor, Astrakhan State University, 20a Tatishchev st., Astrakhan, Russian Federation, 414000, shuvns@rambler.ru

Sidorov Nikita V. - Student, Astrakhan State University, 20a Tatishchev st., Astrakhan, Russian Federation, 414000, ninety_second@rambler.ru

The article describes the occurrence of accidents on oil and gas rigs located in the open sea, with a particular focus on the causes behind and the impacts of the most serious incidents. The document, based on historical and geographical analyses of accidents that have occurred on offshore drilling platforms, also shows the estimated probability of emissions at the wells. The paper relates that there are generally high levels of danger attached to the exploration and development (and probably production) stages on oil and gas rigs, which may lead to the incidents. Distinctive features of the accidents on the offshore platforms include short-term disturbances related to the emission of hydrocarbons and their potential combustion in a dense equipment array. The critique indicates that several catastrophic accidents have taken place on the continental shelf due to the lack of attention to protective measures that would have identified and mitigated the security threats. Subsequently, the review covers major accidents that have occurred on offshore platforms and vessels of various types (including submersibles, mobiles and semi-submersibles) in the 1979-2010 timespan. The data contained in these historical reports has shown that accidents on offshore rigs are often accompanied by great loss of life, noting the vulnerability of personnel on offshore platforms to the thermal effects of fire and the toxicity of combustion products. Furthermore, the reports suggest that two key factors – space limitations and the difficulty of evacuating wounded personnel – are behind the large losses of life on the platform. The blueprint warns that emergency gushing on rigs during drilling operations poses a constant danger and might be the source of the most dangerous accidents.

Key words: offshore drilling accidents,risk,implications,economic damage

Read