Piper Bravo remains in shutdown as operator receives third warning over emergency valve failures

Bob Fleumer

PRODUCTION remains suspended at the Piper Bravo platform in the North Sea due to an emergency valve failure in January, prompting operator Neo Next to receive its third warning in less than a year over the issue.     

According to the latest improvement notice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Neo Next did not have adequate maintenance arrangements for an emergency shutdown valve on the oil export pipeline. The valve failed in January, shortly after the platform restarted after an emergency shutdown prompted by a hydrocarbon release on 6 January. 

A voluntary shutdown followed on 15 January when it became clear the valve was not fully closing. HSE was notified four days later and the regulator confirmed that on 22 January the valve also failed a leak-off test. 

Neo Next must comply with the improvement notice by 13 July.

In addition, HSE said Neo Next had not been adequately monitoring the external condition of the section of pipeline where the hydrocarbon release occurred. The size of the spill is not yet clear, although it is understood to have included both diesel and crude oil. Energy minister Michael Shanks told parliament in February that the release was contained within the installation and that no liquid hydrocarbons spilled into the sea. 

Emergency shutdown valves are designed to close automatically to prevent oil backing up onto the platform in the event of pressure fluctuations. 

This is the third time in under a year that HSE has raised concerns about valve performance at Piper Bravo. In June, the regulator warned that some valves could no longer be relied upon to prevent a major accident hazard, while others were closing more slowly than intended. It also noted the absence of defined performance standards for valve closure speeds across Neo Next’s offshore installations. All three improvement notices remain in force. 

Neo Next was approached for comment.

Lessons from history

Piper Bravo was installed in 1992 to replace the Piper Alpha platform, which was destroyed in the 1988 disaster that killed 167 people. Investigations found that valve failures contributed to the explosions and fire. 

The incident in January was not the first emergency shutdown at Piper Bravo. In 2021, an uncontrolled gas release from a turbine exhaust prompted an emergency shutdown and the mustering of personnel – meaning workers were gathered at designated safety points. At the time, Neo Next had known for more than a year that the turbine exhaust required repair.