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+ Arctic operation
I In the high north the conditions are tough. Extremely low temperatures and long periods of darkness create a demanding working environment for personnel, but it also affects
the material properties and operation of equipment.
I “As the industry moves north into the Arctic, and seen
in the light of risk management, both policy makers and
the industry must agree on an acceptable risk level. As
a minimum we should maintain the same risk level as
in the North Sea,” says Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, DNV COO
Division Norway, Russia and Finland.
“This is indeed how many companies
and countries, such as Norway and the UK,
have managed their oil and gas operations
for many years. Here, both regulations and
operations are based on risk management,
and the responsibility falls on the operator
to obtain a certain safety level,” says Mr
Ørbeck-Nilssen.
MANAGING ICY RISKS
20% of the world’s undiscovered resources
may be found in the Arctic regions. He
points out that exploration has already
started in the harsh environments found
in Greenland, Shtokman and the Barents
Sea, with more to come.
“In these locations, achieving safe
operations is more demanding than in for
example the North Sea, where oil and gas
has been produced since the 1970s in some
of the world’s most challenging conditions.
In the high north the conditions are
much, much tougher. Extremely low temperatures
and long periods of darkness create
a demanding working environment for
personnel, but it also affects the material
properties and operation of equipment,”
he explains.
Snow, slush, fog and icing can reduce
the functionality and availability of safety
barriers. And closely linked to this is the
question of how emergency preparedness
and oil spill recovery can be provided in
case of an accident.
“How do you remove oil from ice, and
how do you evacuate 100 people in a
–50 o C snowstorm 200 km from the shore
with limited infrastructure in remote
locations?” he asks.
“These are just a few examples of the
safety challenges we must face in the years
to come, but I know that much research
and development is already in process,”
Mr Ørbeck-Nilssen points out.
14 – no 01 2012