Offshore Safety Watchdog Launches Probe after Visund Well Incident
Norwegian offshore safety watchdog, the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA), has decided to launch an investigation into a well incident that occurred on Statoil’s Visund field, offshore Norway.
To remind, the safety authority’s spokesperson told Offshore Energy Today on Thursday that Statoil experienced a well control incident at Visund field prompting the company to shut the installation down, and evacuate the workforce.
The incident happened on Wednesday due to a build up in well pressure in connection with completion of a drilling operation.
According to the PSA, the situation was normalized on Friday, March 18, and the incident did not result in hydrocarbon leak.
The safety agency said that the investigation will be aimed at Statoil’s planning and execution of the well operation. The aim of the investigation is to clarify the events and identify the underlying cause of the incident.
Visund is an oil and gas field in blocks 34/8 and 34/7, 22 kilometres north-east of the Gullfaks field in the Tampen area of the Norwegian North Sea.
Statoil is the operator of the field with 53.2% interest, and its partners are Petoro, ConocoPhillips and Total E&P Norge with 30%, 9.1%, and 7.7% interest, respectively.
