Shell fined £560,000 after offshore incident endangered 176 staff and leaked tonne of crude oil

Shell has been fined more than £560,000 after an incident on board a North Sea offshore rig put more than 170 workers at “catastrophic” risk.

On May 19, 2017, the pipework on the Brent Charlie platform deteriorated to such an extent that 1,550kg of crude oil was released, forming a potentially catastrophic, explosive, and flammable mixture that could have ignited.

The ventilation fans on the rig, which are designed to prevent, control or mitigate the effects of escaped hydrocarbon gas, did not work correctly, resulting in 200kg of gas leaking out.

On Tuesday, Aberdeen Sheriff Court here was an uncontrolled hydrocarbon release incident from a Return Oil Line (ROL) pipework inside concrete leg Column 4 of the Brent Charlie offshore installation.

This was the largest unintentional release of hydrocarbons on the UK continental shelf reported to the Health and Safety Executive in 2017.

It was determined that the incident put 176 platform personnel at risk from a potentially catastrophic fire and explosion if the escaping hydrocarbon gas had been ignited inside the concrete leg.

The HSE found that deficiencies in Shell’s safety management system led to the release.

The ROL pipework in Column 4 was not properly maintained for several years. The pipework was installed for short-term use and was due to be removed in 2010, but remained in place for seven years, during which time it suffered corrosion damage.

It was determined that the incident put 176 platform personnel at risk from a potentially catastrophic fire and explosion. HSE

It failed on May 19, 2017 and a large volume of gas was uncontrollably released into the leg. Ventilation extract and supply fans designed to prevent and mitigate this major accident hazard were also inadequately maintained, which exacerbated the risk.

Shell plead guilty to two charges under the Offshore Installations (Prevention of Fire and Explosion, and Emergency Response) Regulations 1995 (PFEER).

Sheriff Ian Duguid, in his sentencing remarks, observed that Shell UK “ought to have recognised that the temporary carbon steel spool was not suitable for such a line and should have been replaced.”

After considering mitigating factors, Shell was fined £560,000.

HSE Offshore Health and Safety Inspector Dozie Azubike said: “At more than 1,750kg, Shell Brent Charlie’s hydrocarbon release was the largest reported to HSE in 2017. This release occurred in a confined space with limited access – it is simply fortunate that no one was in the leg at the time, or they could have been asphyxiated from the hydrocarbon-rich atmosphere, quite apart from any fire and explosion risk.

“Although the offshore industry has managed to reduce its overall number of hydrocarbon releases, in most years there are still several which, if ignited, would result in potentially catastrophic consequences.

“This case highlights the importance of oil and gas duty holders reviewing their current management of change processes for temporary spools and their subsequent removal, strengthening inspection regimes to identify potential internal corrosion within pipework, and ensuring that inspection frequency of safety-critical equipment considers full analysis of the equipment’s maintenance history.”