OCS Report MMS 2002-016

Incidents Associated with Oil and Gas Operations Outer Continental Shelf 2000

U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service Engineering and Operations Division

OCS Report MMS 2002-016

Incidents Associated with Oil and Gas Operations Outer Continental Shelf 2000

Prepared by: Mary J. Hoover Data collected by: District Personnel TIMS database managed by: Regional and District Personnel

This report can also be viewed or printed from MMS’s homepage at http://www.mms.gov/stats/ocsincidents

U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service Herndon, VA Engineering and Operations Division 2002

Contents FFoorreew woorrdd .......................................................................................................................................................................... vv Exxeeccuuttiivvee S E Suum mmmaarryy ...................................................................................................................................... vvii A Abbbbrreevviiaattiioonnss aanndd A Accrroonnyym mss .................................................................................................. vviiiiii IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn ..................................................................................................................................................................11 � Authority.................................................................................................................................................. 1 � Importance and Relation to Other Aspects of Safety Program .............................................................. 1 � Accident Reporting Requirements and Policies ..................................................................................... 1 � General OCS Incident Trends in 2000 ................................................................................................... 2 • Causes of OCS Incidents in 2000 .................................................................................................... 3 • Operations at Time of OCS Incidents in 2000 ................................................................................. 4 • Activity at Time of OCS Incidents in 2000........................................................................................ 5 • Welding-related Incidents on the OCS in 2000................................................................................ 5 • Crane-related Incidents on the OCS in 2000 ................................................................................... 5 • Deepwater (>1,000 ft water depth) Incidents in 2000 ...................................................................... 6 � General OCS Incident Trends: 1995-2000 ............................................................................................. 7

G Guullff ooff M Meexxiiccoo O OCCS S IInncciiddeennttss:: C Caalleennddaarr Y Yeeaarr 22000000..................................88 � Collisions ................................................................................................................................................ 9 � Explosions ............................................................................................................................................ 12 � Fatalities ............................................................................................................................................... 13 � Fires ...................................................................................................................................................... 15 � Injuries .................................................................................................................................................. 49 � Losses of Well Control.......................................................................................................................... 66 � Pipeline Events ..................................................................................................................................... 70 � GOM Significant Pollution Events > 50 Barrels .................................................................................... 73 � Other Events......................................................................................................................................... 76

P Paacciiffiicc O OCCS S IInncciiddeennttss:: C Caalleennddaarr Y Yeeaarr 22000000 ........................................................8888 � Fires ...................................................................................................................................................... 89 � Injuries .................................................................................................................................................. 90 � Losses of Well Control.......................................................................................................................... 91

A Appppeennddiixx:: G Grraapphhiiccaall S Suum mmmaarryy ooff O OCCS S IInncciiddeennttss iinn 22000000..........9922 � Overview of Causes: • Overall Causes of OCS Incidents in 2000 ..................................................................................... 92 • Collisions ........................................................................................................................................ 92 • Crane-related Incidents.................................................................................................................. 92 • Explosions ...................................................................................................................................... 92 • Fatalities ......................................................................................................................................... 93

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Contents--continued AAppppeennddiixx:: G Grraapphhiiccaall S Suum mmmaarryy ooff O OCCS S IInncciiddeennttss iinn 22000000---­- ccoonnttiinnuueedd � Overview of Causes:--continued: • Fires ............................................................................................................................................... 93 • Injuries............................................................................................................................................ 93 • Losses of Well Control ................................................................................................................... 93 • Pipeline Incidents ........................................................................................................................... 94 • Pollution Incidents >50 barrels....................................................................................................... 94 • Other Incidents ............................................................................................................................... 94 • Welding-related Incidents............................................................................................................... 94 � Overview of Operations: • Overall Operations at Time of OCS Incidents in 2000.................................................................. 95 • Collisions....................................................................................................................................... 95 • Crane-related Incidents ................................................................................................................ 95 • Explosions..................................................................................................................................... 95 • Fatalities ....................................................................................................................................... 96 • Fires .............................................................................................................................................. 96 • Injuries .......................................................................................................................................... 96 • Losses of Well Control .................................................................................................................. 96 • Pipeline Incidents.......................................................................................................................... 97 • Pollution Incidents <50 barrels ..................................................................................................... 97 • Other Incidents.............................................................................................................................. 97 • Welding-related Incidents ............................................................................................................. 97 � Overview of Activities: • Overall Activities at Time of OCS Incidents in 2000 ..................................................................... 98 • Collisions....................................................................................................................................... 98 • Crane-related Incidents ................................................................................................................ 98 • Explosions..................................................................................................................................... 98 • Fatalities........................................................................................................................................ 99 • Fires .............................................................................................................................................. 99 • Injuries .......................................................................................................................................... 99 • Losses of Well Control .................................................................................................................. 99 • Pipeline Incidents........................................................................................................................ 100 • Pollution Incidents >50 barrels ................................................................................................... 100 • Other Incidents............................................................................................................................ 100 • Welding-related Incidents ........................................................................................................... 100 � Overview of Incidents 1995-2000: • Total Number of OCS Events....................................................................................................... 101 • OCS Incidents .............................................................................................................................. 101 • Collisions ...................................................................................................................................... 102 • Explosions .................................................................................................................................... 102 • Fatalities ....................................................................................................................................... 103 • Fires ............................................................................................................................................. 103 • Injuries.......................................................................................................................................... 104 • Losses of Well Control ................................................................................................................. 104

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Foreword The following is a compilation of events that occurred on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) that were reported to the Minerals Management Service (MMS) during calendar year 2000. Some OCS events are reported to the U.S. Coast Guard, depending on jurisdiction area. We categorized each event by region (i.e., Gulf of Mexico or Pacific) and by type of incident (i.e., collision, explosion, fatality, fire, injury, loss of well control, pipeline event, pollution, or other, including crane-related and welding-related incidents). The Alaska Region is not included because they had no OCS events to report during 2000. An appendix of charts and graphs provide a statistical summary at the end of this document.

As of 1995, all OCS events reported to MMS are input into our Technical Information Management System (TIMS) database. This database automates all business and regulatory functions of MMS’s Offshore Program and was created by MMS for both internal and public use. With the increase in operations in the Gulf of Mexico, both MMS and industry are placing greater emphasis on operator performance and safety. Because incident data analysis is an important component in measuring performance, both MMS and industry are paying more attention to the quality of the information reported. In this regard, MMS has made every effort to ensure that data taken from TIMS and recorded in this document are as accurate as possible. However, as with any live database, the data in this document are subject to revision as new information is obtained from investigations or as other clarifications arise.

MMS welcomes any general suggestions or specific corrections regarding the data reported in this document. Please contact

o Joe Levine, Chief Operations Analysis Branch Phone: 703-787-1032 Email address: Joseph.Levine@mms.gov

or

o Mary Hoover, Technical Writer-Editor Operations Analysis Branch Phone: 703-787-1028 Email address: Mary.Hoover@mms.gov.

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Executive Summary The OCS events summarized in this report are based solely on those that were reported to MMS and input into the TIMS database during calendar year 2000. For statistical purposes, we make a distinction between the terms events and incidents. We use event when referring to a reported happening. A happening sometimes involves more than one incident (i.e., a fire can involve several incidents, for example, an injury, a fatality, or an explosion, or more). We use incident when referring to category of accident that occurred during an event. A total of 298 events were reported to MMS during 2000 (256 in the Gulf of Mexico Region and 42 in the Pacific Region). However, not all of the 298 events are summarized in this document; we excluded two events because one was not work-related and the other one came under USCG jurisdiction. Also, we excluded 71 pollution events because they involved spills of less than 50 barrels.

Analysis of the 225 incidents summarized in this document shows that 39 (38 in the Gulf of Mexico Region and 1 in the Pacific Region) occurred in water depths greater than 1,000 feet, ranging from 1,030 feet to 6,327 feet. The average depth for the deepwater incidents was 2,511 feet, as opposed to an overall average of 526 feet for the 207 event base number. The 39 deepwater events included 2 fatalities, 19 fires, 17 injuries, 6 pollution leaks (each more than 50 barrels), 2 near misses, 2 riser disconnects, and 1 loss of well control. Most of the incidents (about 76%) occurred during the development phase of OCS activity while about 24% occurred during exploration activities. About 46 percent of the incidents happened while performing production operations. Drilling operations accounted for 57 incidents. Other incidents were attributed to operations related to well workover, well completion, plug and abandonment, fuel transfer, blowout preventer testing, motor vessels, moving on location, construction, or diving repair work.

The two major causes of the incidents during 2000 were equipment failure and human error. Equipment failure caused 109 of the incidents and human error caused 108. Five incidents were attributed to slip/trip/fall. Some incidents resulted from more than one cause. Various other causes included weather, leaks, construction mishaps, crane operations, unstable ocean floor conditions, metal fatigue, improper design, and lack of equipment maintenance.

Five fatalities occurred during 2000: two resulted indirectly from equipment failure, one resulted from being struck by a fan that came unattached from its support due to metal fatigue, two resulted from falls because of faulty equipment (a handrail failed and an air hoist latch failed). One of the incidents was also attributed to human error. Three of the fatalities occurred during drilling operations, one occurred during production operations, and one occurred during diving operations.

Fires accounted for most of the events reported during 2000, with a total of 103 for the year, followed by 64 injuries, 9 collisions, 9 losses of well control, 7 pipeline events, 5 fatalities, 6 pollution spills of over 50 barrels, 2 explosions, and 34 categorized as “Other.” Other included riser disconnects, crane-related mishaps, H2S leaks, and equipment overboard. Some events were placed into two different categories (i.e., fire/injury, injury/other—crane-related, etc.). In this case, the incident description appears in each pertinent category with a cross-reference (e.g., Fire No. 53 also listed as Injury No. 41).

There were 103 fires reported during 2000. Equipment failure attributed to 59 percent of the fires. Twenty-three fires were welding-related, of which 16 were caused by human error. Five were caused by equipment failure. Two were attributed to leaks. Most of the welding-related fires occurred during development activities and production operations.

A total of 64 injuries resulted from 54 of the incidents during 2000. Human error was the major cause vi

accounting for 40 of the injuries, followed by equipment failure, which caused 14 injuries. Most of the injuries occurred during development activities while performing drilling or production operations.

Nine losses of well control occurred during 2000 (8 in the Gulf of Mexico Region and 1 in the Pacific Region). Investigations attributed the main cause of five of these incidents to cementing problems. One of the nine losses resulted from equipment failure. Human error attributed to three of the losses of well control. Investigations are still pending for two of the events. Four of these events occurred during the exploration phase; five occurred during the development phase.

Nine collisions were reported during 2000. Five were caused by human error. In two of the collisions, the cause was unknown. One was attributed to equipment failure and one was attributed to an unstable ocean floor.

Only two explosions occurred during 2000 as compared to five in 1999. Both occurred in the development phase: one during production operations and one during completion operations. One explosion was attributed to human error; the other was attributed to equipment failure (i.e., a breaker panel blew up).

Seventeen of the incidents included in this report were crane-related. Equipment failure attributed to 12 of the crane incidents, while human error accounted for 9. Eleven of the crane-related incidents occurred during the development phase of OCS activity.

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Abbreviations and Acronyms A N AC -Alternating Current NE -Northeast AFFF -Aqueous film-forming foam NRC -National Response Center

B O Bbl -Barrel(s) OCS -Outer Continental Shelf Bbbl -Billion barrels OCSLA -Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Bcf -Billion cubic feet BDV -Blow Down Valve P BOP -Blowout Preventer PAC -Pacific OCS Region BOPD -Barrels of Oil Per Day POV -Pressure Operated Valves BOPE -Barrels of Oil Per Day Equivalent PPE -Personnel Protection Equipment BS&W -Basic Sediment & Water ppg -Parts per gallon BWPD -Barrels of Water Per Day PSE -Pressure Safety Element PSH -Pressure Safety High C psi -Pounds per square inch CFR -Code of Federal Regulations psig -Pounds per square inch, gauge CT -Coil Tubing PSL -Pressure Safety Low CTM -Coil Tubing Measurement PSV -Pressure Safety Valve CO2 -Carbon Dioxide R D ROV -Remotely Operated Vehicle DC -Direct Current RTU -Remote Terminal Unit DCP -Driller’s Control anel DOT -Department of Transportation S SAFE -Safety Award for Excellence E SBM -synthetic base mud ESD -Emergency Shut Down SCADA -Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition SCR -Spot check report F SCSSV -Surface Controlled Subsurface Safety Valve Ft -Foot (feet) SDV -Shutdown Valve FTP -Flowing Tubing Pressure SITP -Shut-in Tubing Pressure SO2 -sulfur dioxide G SS -Stainless Steel G/L -Gas/Liquid SSSV -Subsurface Safety Valve Gal -Gallon SSV -Surface Safety Valve GOM -Gulf of Mexico OCS Region SW -Southwest

H T H2S -Hydrogen Sulfide TD -Total Depth HI -High Island TIMS -Technical Information Management System TLP -Tension Leg Platform I TSE -Temperature Safety Element (fusible material) In -Inch TSH -Temperature Safety High IWOCS -Installation and workover control system U L USCG -U.S. Coast Guard LEL -Lower Exposure Limit LMRP -Lower Marine Riser Package V LSH -Level Safety High VRS -Vapor Recovery System LSL -Level Safety Low VRU -Vapor Recovery Unit

M W MCC -Master Control Center WHRU -Waste Heat Recovery Unit MCFD -thousand Cubic Feet per Day MD -Measured Depth MM -Million MMbbl -Million barrels MMS -Minerals Management Service MOPU -Mobile Producing Unit MOU -Memorandum of Understanding MSDS -Materials Safety Data Sheet MUX -Make Up Crossover (X) MWD -Measurement while drilling M/V -Mobile Vessel

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Introduction A Auutthhoorriittyy The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) requires either MMS or the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to prepare within 30 days a public report for all deaths, serious injuries, major fires, and major oil spills (>200 barrels) resulting from OCS mineral operations. To carry out the requirements in OCSLA, the MMS and the USCG have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that provides guidelines for identifying the agency that will normally conduct an accident investigation and prepare the report. Joint investigations can also be conducted.

IIm mppoorrttaannccee aanndd R Reellaattiioonn ttoo O Otthheerr A Assppeeccttss ooff S Saaffeettyy P Prrooggrraam m A primary mission of the MMS is to manage OCS resources in a safe and environmentally sound manner. Safety of operations has always been a key element of the Federal Government’s offshore program. Many factors have contributed to improved safety and environmental protection over the years, including the development of operating regulations, increased regulatory oversight, improved industry safety programs, and improved technology.

Accurate incident reporting, record-keeping, and analysis of incident information is an integral component of a properly functioning regulatory program and a safe OCS oil and gas industry. Incident data can be used to identify operational trends and fluctuations from the norm. Evaluation of this information can then be used as a benchmark to evaluate the performance of the industry. Based on this evaluation, areas of concern can be identified and addressed through a variety of measures including regulatory changes, development of technical standards, and the implementation of new inspection practices or new research initiatives.

A Acccciiddeenntt R Reeppoorrttiinngg R Reeqquuiirreem meennttss aanndd P Poolliicciieess The MMS regulations at 30 CFR 250.191 specify industry accident reporting requirements. They require OCS lessees to notify MMS of all serious accidents, any death or serious injury, and all fires, explosions, or losses of well control connected with any activities or operations on the lease. All spills of oil or other liquid pollutants must also be reported to MMS. These regulations also address the preparation of public accident reports and procedures used in conducting accident investigations. The MMS and the USCG are developing a joint accident reporting structure. This Subpart A revision will include a web-based initiative to allow joint reporting of MMS/USCG incidents in one location on the web.

In 1992, MMS instituted a basic policy for collecting accident data and conducting accident investigations. Under that policy, MMS must investigate all major accidents, some minor accidents, and all losses of well control. The degree of investigation is left to the discretion of the District Supervisor. Major accidents are fires and explosions that result in damage of $1 million or more, liquid hydrocarbon spills of 200 barrels or more during a period of 30 days, or accidents that involve a fatality or serious injury that substantially impairs any bodily unit or function. The MMS completes an Accident Investigation Report (Form 2010) for all accidents investigated and enters the information into TIMS.

G Geenneerraall O OCCS S IInncciiddeenntt TTrreennddss iinn 22000000 A total of 298 incident reports were received in MMS’s district offices during calendar year OCS Incidents by Category: 2000: 256 in the GOM Region and 42 in the PAC Region. This 298 total included 77 Calendar Year 2000 pollution event reports of which 71 were not Collisions (9) included in this document (i.e., those with 120 103 Explosions (2) spills less than 50 barrels) and 2 other 100 Fatalities (5) incidents, which were excluded because one Fires (103) came under USCG jurisdiction and the other 80 64 Injuries (64) was not work-related. This left a base number 60 Losses of Well Control (9) of 225 events reports, which are described in 34 Pipeline-related (7) this document. Some events involved multiple 40 Pollution >50 bbls (6) incidents (e.g., a fire with multiple injuries) 20 9 9 7 6 Other (34) and thereby appear in several categories. 2 5

Graphs in the appendix to this report (see pp. 0

92-104) show the type of activity, operation, and causes for each category of incidents.

In contrast to 1999, there were 28 more fires, 17 more injuries, and 4 more losses of well control reported during 2000. However, there were 3 fewer explosions and 1 fewer collision. Fatalities remained the same.

More fires occurred on the OCS during calendar year 2000 than any other category of incident. More than 70 percent of these fires occurred during production operations. Some of the fires had more than one cause (see graph on page 93). Of the 103 fires reported (101 in the GOM Region and 2 in the Pacific Region), 60 (about 53%) were caused by equipment failure. Forty-two of the fires (about 37%) attributed the cause to human error. (Seven of the fires were caused by a combination of equipment failure and human error.) Ninety-six of these fires were categorized as incidental in that they were extinguished in a relatively short time with dry chemical extinguishers and resulted in only minor injuries and equipment damage less than $25,000. One fire was classified as major in that property damage was more than $1 million. Five fires were classified as minor, meaning they had property damage amounting to more than $25,000 but less than $1 million.

Injuries were second to fires as the most common OCS incident reported during 2000. A total of 64 injuries resulted from 54 separate events. Forty-eight percent of these injuries occurred during drilling operations; 28 percent occurred during production operations. The remaining 24 percent occurred during other operations, which included well workovers, completions, plug and abandonment, BOP testing,