SeaRose FPSO undergoes second dropped object incident in six months

Cenovus Energy has reported a dropped object incident onboard the SeaRose FPSO to the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Energy Regulator (C-NLOER).

This occurred on Sept. 7 during cargo transfer operations offshore Newfoundland.

According to the Sept. 9 C-NLOER statement, following lifting of a compressed gas cylinder rack from the M18 deck, the FPSO experienced significant vessel motion.

The crew decided to return the cylinder rack to the deck, but in the process it made contact with a crane rest, which caused the rack door to swing open.

As a result, two cylinders, each weighing around 100 lb, fell from the rack. One dropped 45 ft into a barricaded area below, and the other around 5 ft onto the M18 laydown area.

Crane operations were suspended; fortunately, the area below the lift had been barricaded and no personnel were inside the exclusion zone at the time.

However, the incident had the potential for a fatality based on the Dropped Objects Prevention Scheme calculator, the C-NLOER advised. Cenovus has started an investigation, which the C-NLOER is monitoring.

Earlier this year, there was another accident onboard the recently upgraded FPSO when a pennant line assembly became disconnected from a crane hook, causing it to fall to the deck below.