Oil & Gas UK Publishes New Guidelines to Improve Integrity and Well Control

Four guidelines in a series being produced by the Well Life Cycle Practices Forum (WLCPF) were published yesterday (31 July ) by Oil & Gas UK to improve cross industry understanding of well-related issues on the UK continental shelf.

The guidelines have been developed to share current good industry practice and relate respectively to the operation of subsea blowout preventer (BOP) systems, well integrity throughout the well life cycle, well suspension and abandonment and the qualification of materials used for suspension and well abandonment.

Paul Dymond, Oil & Gas UK’s operations director, said: “The publication of each of these documents represents a colossal degree of commitment from the workgroups and members of the Well Life Cycle Practices Forum over the last 18 months. They are an invaluable source of guidance for both the UK and the global oil and gas industry and we are grateful to the regulators and our colleagues in the wider industry, including the rig contractors and well service providers, for their input and expertise.

Mr Dymond added: “As a permanent legacy of the UK’s Oil Spill Prevention and Response Advisory Group (OSPRAG), the WLCPF has published nine sets of guidelines which complement existing standards and cover good industry practice on activities that include relief well planning for subsea wells, competency and well examination. In line with the goal-setting philosophy of the UK offshore safety regime, the WLCPF is committed to continually reviewing and improving safety and performance in all aspects of a well practices and ensuring that industry learning from around the globe is implemented as appropriate in the UK continental shelf.”

The Well Life Cycle Practices Forum (WLCPF) was set up by Oil & Gas UK in December 2010 to provide a forum at which well-operators can discuss well-related pan-industry issues, help companies implement the OSPRAG Technical Review Group recommendations and act as the interface of choice for DECC and HSE on well-related matters.

As of mid 2012, the WLCPF had over 45 Oil & Gas UK member companies including operators and well management companies.

[mappress]
Offshore Nieuws Staff, August 1, 2012