Piper Bravo oil spill could have been ‘catastrophic’, regulator says

Bob Fleumer

AN OIL spill at the Piper Bravo platform in the North Sea in February could have been “catastrophic”, according to the latest data provided by the UK safety regulator. 

A 500 kg release of hydraulic oil at Piper Bravo on 22 February was given the rare “major” hydrocarbon release classification of by the GB Health and Safety Executive (HSE), reserved only for incidents with the “potential to cause catastrophic consequences if ignited”. It is the first incident to have received the classification in over a year, according to the latest quarterly hydrocarbon release data, published today.

It is unclear what caused the oil spill at the NEO Next-operated platform. It happened on the same day as a leak-off test failure, according to the latest improvement notice served against NEO Next by HSE. Leak-off tests are run to determine the pressure of fractures within the rock surface by closing the well and pumping fluid into the wellbore. 

The February incident came amid ongoing safety concerns at Piper Bravo. NEO Next had received three warnings in less than a year before 75 kg of hydrocarbon liquid was released on 6 January, which HSE classified as “significant”, meaning it could “escalate to a major accident if not controlled”. NEO Next restarted the platform the next day, but within eight days they suspended production again after it became clear an emergency shutdown valve was not fully closing on demand. 

Emergency shutdown valves are safety critical devices designed to close automatically to prevent oil flowing through pipelines in the event of pressure fluctuations. Valve failure contributed to the 1988 explosion at Piper Alpha, the platform which Piper Bravo was installed to replace four years later. HSE warned NEO Next last June that some valves could no longer be relied on to prevent a major accident hazard, while others were closing more slowly than intended. 

TCE understands that Piper Bravo has been idle since February and production remains suspended.

NEO Next declined to comment.