§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Energy what facilities to 351W deal with blow-outs which might occur in the North Sea have been recommended to the oil companies by the Government.
§ Mr. John SmithProgrammes for the drilling of offshore wells require my prior approval before I give consent to drill. They must set out the provision for dealing with possible blow-outs, including the design of the rig for this purpose and its fitment with blow-out prevention equipment. Petroleum production inspectors of my Department ensure that these programmes are followed, that the equipment is maintained in good order and that regular exercises are held to ensure that all personnel know the procedures to be followed in the event of a threatened blow-out.
After discussion with my Department, the Unted Kingdom Offshore Operators Association has agreed that in the event of any blow-out a rig for drilling a relief well will be made available by the United Kingdom operators. My Department is discussing with the UKOOA the scale of provision needed for pollution control vessels and fire control units for United Kingdom offshore oil operations as a whole.
Background Note
1. The search for and production of oil and gas on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf is controlled by licences granted by the Secretary of State under the Petroleum (Production) Regulations 1966.
2. Licensees are required by the terms of their licences to carry out their operations in accordance with methods and practices customarily used in good oilfield practice. Such practice includes, amongst other things, the reed to take all practicable steps in order:
- (a) to control the flow and to prevent the escape or waste of petroleum discovered in and obtained from the licensed area;
- (b) to prevent the escape of petroleum into any waters or water-bearing strata in or in the vicinity of the licensed area.
This basic requirement accordingly imposes on the operator an obligation to plan work so that a blow-out is avoided.
3. Under the Petroleum (Production) Regulations 1966 the licensee is not allowed to begin the drilling of any well without the consent in writing of the Secretary of State. The formal application for a consent to drill has to be submitted to the Department four weeks before the date on which drilling is to commence and should include details of the drilling programme. The consent of the Secretary of State is also required for the abandonment of any well. Applications for such consents 352W need to be submitted at the earliest possible date before the work is carried out and details of the functions encountered and the proposed method of plugging must be given. This procedural arrangement enables the Department to check an operator's plans, to see that arrangements to avoid blow-out are satisfactory.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Energy how many Government safety inspectors are employed in checking equipment and safety procedures on drilling rigs, production platforms and laying and lifting barges; how many visits were made to each such installation or vessel in the course of 1973 and of 1974; how much time is spent on each such visit; and how much advance notice is normally given to the operator of such installation or vessel.
§ Mr. John SmithSix inspectors of the Department of Energy spend most of their time visiting drilling and production installations on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf. Five more are also involved in other aspects of safety and control and visit these installations when required. During 1973 and 1974, 91 and 129 visits respectively were made for inspection purposes. This equates to an average of three visits a year to each installation. The duration varies between two hours and two days, but typically an inspection takes between three and five hours.
The operator of an installation is given advance notice—normally seven days—of an inspector's arrival for the purpose of making transport arrangements. In practice it would cause very great inconvenience, and often be quite impossible, to board a platform without notice.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Energy what estimates have been made by his Department regarding the time which it would be likely to take to bring a blow-out in the deep waters of the North Sea under control.
§ Mr. John SmithIn the North Sea, it would take about 90 days to bring a blow-out under control. This is because the only reliable way of achieving this end would be by drilling a relief well designed to enter the oil-bearing formation as close as possible to the original well and then injecting mud or cement to stop the flow.