Statoil Issued with Safety Order over Heimdal Leak

Norway's Petroleum Safety Authority has issued Statoil with an order to implement a number of measures on its Heimdal field platform after the PSA conducted its own investigation into a gas leak on the HMP1 platform in May 2012.

Describing the leak, which occurred in connection with the testing of two emergency shutdown valves, as "among the most serious gas discharges on the Norwegian shelf in several years", the PSA said it has ordered Statoil to:

• Identify the causes why the improvement measures implemented in Statoil did not have the necessary effect on Heimdal.
• Ensure that the improvement measures have the necessary effect on Heimdal and present a plan for the work that is necessary to achieve this.
• Confirm that there are no similar conditions that indicate an inadequate effect of the aforementioned measures on Statoil's other facilities.

The deadline to comply with the order is March 1 2013, said the PSA.

Statoil itself acknowledged the leak was "serious" in October, when it announced it had submitted an internal investigation report to the PSA. According to the company, the leak lasted for four minutes and emitted around 3,500 kilograms of gas.

A former engineer, Jon is an award-winning editor who has covered the technology, engineering and energy sectors since the mid-1990s. Email Jon at jmainwaring@rigzone.com.

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