Gullfaks leak posed safety risk

Dec. 7, 2010
Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) has opened an investigation into a hydrocarbon leak last week on the Gullfaks B platform operated by Statoil in the Norwegian North Sea.

Offshore staff

OSLO, Norway – Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) has opened an investigation into a hydrocarbon leak last week on the Gullfaks B platform operated by Statoil in the Norwegian North Sea.

This incident occurred during leak testing connected to maintenance work on a choke valve on one of the wells. PSA says the leak, which derived from a shut-in volume above the downhole safety valve in the well, had an initial rate of 1.2 kg/sec, and lasted for an hour.

The investigative team will look to determine the course of events and identify the direct and underlying causes.

12/07/2010