PSA: Gullfaks A platform needs improvements

From 3 to 7 March 2014, the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) carried out an audit of Statoil Petroleum AS (Statoil) and Gullfaks A platform in the Norwegian part of the North Sea.

The objective of the audit was to assess the company’s control and management of materials handling, the technical condition of lifting equipment and lifting operations, and the company’s management of lifting equipment maintenance at Gullfaks A.
Non-conformities were identified in connection with: improvement points; competence; offshore cranes; lifting gear; BOP cranes; emergency procedures; scaffolding; personnel lifts

In addition, improvement points were identified in connection with: wear on wire rope for boom; lifting equipment; resource requirements; competence; lifting operations; technical condition – railings; pipe handling crane – procedures; maintenance system; pipe handling crane – declaration of conformity; access to pipe handling crane; safety gates; barrier diagrams for the drilling modules.

Gullfaks A was installed in the North Sea in 1986 and started production in December the same year. In recent years the platform has been extended with the satellite subsea wells Rimfaks and Gullveig. The GFA platform is designed for 135m water depth, is 165 m high and has drilling, production, accommodation and oil storage. The base has four shafts and 24 cells.