More stringent rules on blowout preventers and an expanded oil spill response plan form part of BP’s new self-imposed guidelines for deep-water drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
The UK supermajor is also to overhaul the use of cement casings and bring more third parties into procedures as it looks to “apply the lessons” learned from the Macondo disaster in April last year.
In a letter sent to Michael Bromwich, director of the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation & Enforcement (BOEMRE), BP outlined the new set of standards which it claims “go beyond existing regulatory obligations” and demonstrate “the company’s commitment to safe and reliable operations” in the region.
BP promised to use subsea BOPs “equipped with no fewer than two blind shear rams and a casing shear ram” on all drilling rigs under contract to the company in deep-water Gulf of Mexico and operating in dynamic position mode. Crucially, the company said this standard also applies to “its contractors involved in drilling operations”.
“With respect to moored drilling rigs under contract to [BP] for deepwater drilling service using subsea BOPs, the subsea BOP will be equipped with two shear rams, which will include at least one blind shear ram and either an additional blind shear ram or a casing shear ram,” the company continued.
Further, BP pledged that, each time a BOP is surfaced for testing or maintenance, a third party will need to be present to “verify that the testing and maintenance of the BOP were performed in accordance with manufacturer recommendations and industry recommended practice”. BP did not say, however, that this would be an independent third party.
Cement slurries for primary cementing of casing and exposed hydrocarbon-bearing zones will also require laboratory testing. A competent BP engineer or an independent third party would also need to conduct or witness the testing.
“[BP] will provide laboratory results to the applicable BOEMRE field office within a reasonable period of time,” it vowed.
On the issue of its oil spill response plan, BP said its revised version “will include information about enhanced measures for responding to a spill in open water, near-shore response and shoreline spill response based on lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill”.
On top of these new measures, the company is to set up a new “real-time drilling operations centre” in Houston and assess and increase well control competencies.
Chief executive, Bob Dudley, commented: “BP’s commitment in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon incident is not only to restore the economic and environmental conditions among the affected areas of the Gulf Coast, but also to apply what we have learned to improve the way we operate.
“We believe the commitments we have outlined today will promote greater levels of safety and preparedness in deep water drilling.”
