Offshore staff

PERTH -- Australia's National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (NOPSA) has issued a Prohibition Notice to Woodside Energy, the operator of the FPSO Ngujima-Yin.

The vessel is located at the Vincent oil field in Commonwealth waters in the Exmouth sub-basin, 43 km (27 mi) north of the North West Cape and 10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of the Enfield oil accumulation.

The notice, which prohibits the re-start of petroleum production at the facility, has been issued after a fire caused extensive damage to the high pressure gas compression process module and may have also affected other safety critical plant or systems of the facility.
The Prohibition Notice will remain in force until NOPSA is satisfied that plant or systems damaged by the fire are fit for service and do not pose a risk to safe operations.

The fire, which is thought to have started at a gas turbine compressor, occurred on April 13, onboard the FPSO and is being investigated by NOPSA inspectors.

04/22/2009