Offshore watchdog slaps Vår Energi with safety order over Goliat flaws

The Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) has slapped Vår Energi, recently formed through a merger of Point Resources and Eni Norge, with a safety order after an audit of follow-up and management of electrical facilities on the Goliat FPSO offshore Norway. 

The audit was conducted from October 15 to 19 and followed up how the company was complying with technical, operational and organizational regulatory requirements for electrical facilities on the Goliat floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit in the Barents Sea.

The PSA identified regulatory breaches related to managing risk and barriers were identified and gave a notice of order on December 11.

In accordance with that notice, the PSA issued an order to Vår Energi. The offshore safety body told the company to draw up a realistic and binding plan for completing outstanding safety-critical work on the Goliat FPSO.

The PSA added that it also included completing the status of the technical condition of safety-critical barriers.

Vår Energi must comply with the order by March 1, 2019, and the PSA must be informed when the order has been carried out.

To clarify, an order is an administrative decision and a strongly preventive instrument which is legally binding on the recipient, in this case, Vår Energi. Before the PSA issues an order, it usually sends a notice of order to the affected companies which is neither an instrument nor a notice of sanctions.