North Sea oil rig evacuation--pressure problems

If true, it would have dire implications regarding the Gulf Oil Guyser.

Suppose the Earth is growing in core pressures.

Coincidence?

methane?

Statoil Shuts Gullfaks C Output as Well Destabilizes (Update4)


By Vibeke Laroi and Meera Bhatia

May 21 (Bloomberg) -- Statoil ASA partially evacuated platform C at the Gullfaks field in the North Sea after pressure in a well destabilized, shutting production at the facility and the nearby Tordis field.

“We still have an unstable pressure situation,” Gisle Johanson, a company spokesman, said by phone today. The company is continuing to pump drilling mud into the well and is putting together a plan on how to proceed, Johanson said. Output was halted at Gullfaks C and Tordis, he said.

There were three different events starting on May 19 and continuing yesterday when workers were evacuated, he said. The chance of a blowout is “very small,” Johanson said, adding that there was no leak and no injuries.

The North Sea Gullfaks field produced about 78,500 barrels of crude oil a day in March. Platform C is one of three at the field and processes oil and gas from the Gullfaks Soer and Gimle fields and is also involved in production from the Tordis, Vigdis and Visund fields, according the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. Tordis produced 15,500 barrels of oil a day in March, according to the directorate.

“It’s a serious situation,” said Inger Anda, spokeswoman for the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority. “It looks like it’s under control for the time being.”

Third Incident

The company evacuated 89 people from the platform and left a crew behind to deal with the well, Anda said. The well at Gullfaks C also had incidents involving pressure in April and in December last year, news website petro.no has reported.

“This is the third incident in the last five months at Gullfaks C, and the event in December was the most serious that year,” Frederic Hauge, president of environmental group Bellona Foundation, said by telephone today. “The situation isn’t under control when you have an unstable well and the blowout preventer is the only barrier.”

The blowout preventer sits at the top of a platform and is designed to contain a surge in pressure like the one that killed 11 workers in an April 20 explosion and fire that set off the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The blast occurred while BP Plc was drilling a well in 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) of water.

Snorre Fine

“There’s a chance for a blowout at Gullfaks,” Hauge said. Statoil came close to a blowout at its Snorre A platform in 2004, he said. The company was fined 80 million kroner in 2005 after gas escaped from an underwater injection well, threatening to topple or blow up the installation.

Norway’s biggest spill came from a blowout at the North Sea Ekofisk Bravo field in 1977, when about 80,000 barrels leaked over eight days.

Statoil reported on Wednesday that a loss of drilling mud in the well led to insufficient pressure, according to a document obtained by Bloomberg that Statoil sent to the safety authority. Drilling mud is a thick liquid that is used to keep the pressure in a well under control while drilling, ensuring its stability and safety.

Anders Tharaldsen, a safety authority duty officer, confirmed the agency received notice from Statoil on May 19.

Statoil holds 70 percent of Gullfaks and Norway’s Petoro AS the remainder. Statoil also had to evacuate its on-land Kollsnes gas processing facility near Bergen yesterday because of a leak.

“This is an unwanted and serious situation, but there haven’t been any reports indicating it might develop into a blowout situation,” Sveinung Sletpoo poo Petoro spokesman, said by telephone. “We’re confident the operator will do what is necessary to get the well back to normal.”

Related News and Information: Company News: {STL NO <Equity> CN <GO>} Oil Earnings: {TNI OIL ERN <GO>} Top Energy News: {ETOP <GO>}
Last Updated: May 21, 2010 11:43 EDT

Smile at the world and know its that time!!!!!!

good find, sad reality, pin worthy?

have not heard of this yet on alaska news. mother earth is pissed!

these are deliberate attacks

I am not an expert, but what if sea floor caves in, and there is going to be a mega oil tsunami with burning methane?

PHUCK!

If you don't keep drilling mud in the well while drilling, of course you could experience pressure problems. The real question is are all the blowout preventors like the one in the Gulf that failed because it's heavy rubber seals inside came out before the explosion.

What was the reason in that 2012 movie?

Neutrinos from the sun suddenly reacted with normal matter.
Therby heating up the Earths core like microwaves?

B I N G O

just our planet reacting to "something" like all the rest are - i'd imagine we will see some huge volcanoes going off in the next months - unless this is a deliberate attempt to relieve pressure

by..? the same country or group?

Mother Earth farts only every few thousand years.....

DISTRACTION???????????????????????

GREEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAT!!!

Finally we'll have some REAL DOOOOOOOOM!!!!

why is anything else I am posting to my original

(first time pin) thread being deleted?

Or a sign of things to come?

Somebody would have to be attacking from inside the Earth!

ITS THE MOLE PEOPLE!!

THEY'RE RISING UP!!!

lol (actually 'snicker' while eating veg pizza)

So far we have great increases in earthquake intensity and frequency, more volcanic eruptions, oil blow outs, super volcanoes around the world going active (increased tremors). All the clues show there is something going on in the Earths core.

The Sun could easily alter the Earths Core spin, shape, size, composition, ect.

Maybe Gaia is just tired of us parasites sucking her blood. Now she's going to shake off the fleas...

Its CERN, all that extra energy has to go somewhere.

zetas right again

you betcha

another report

[link to www.lasvegassun.com]


The Associated Press

Friday, May 21, 2010 | 10:08 a.m.

Norwegian oil company Statoil evacuated 89 workers from an offshore rig in the North Sea after encountering an unexpected change in pressure while drilling a well, a spokesman said Friday.

Statoil spokesman Gisle Johanson said the situation is "stable" and all safety systems are working properly. There is nothing to indicate a spill will take place, Johanson said.

He said 89 of the 229 workers on the Gullfaks C platform were taken off the rig as a precaution while the remainder worked to normalize well pressure.

"We're drilling a reservoir through a rock formation with unstable pressure," Johanson said. "This is a field where we are prepared for handling challenging pressure conditions."

Johanson said such incidents "happen from time to time" and that there were no injuries or leaks.

Statoil has operated the Gullfaks C field, in the northern North Sea, since 1989.

He said it's not clear when the rig will be running again.