Prevention and control strategies

In the event of a blowout, action must be taken quickly and effectively. Specially designed blowout contingency plans (BCPs) have been introduced on internationally which include general rules for emergencies, control strategies, and work instructions. Successful implementation of such plans makes an important contribution towards loss minimisation.

Complex blowout control projects can be realised very effectively – most especially when the drill crew, the blowout control advisor, and the suppliers cooperate in devising and implementing the contingency plan. In the United States, for example, well control incident management systems and blowout control alliances provide valuable services. The National Interagency Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS) were developed in response to dramatic losses in the 1970s.

Conclusion

Following the loss event, specific instructions were formulated on the procedures to be adopted following gas losses. Furthermore, the correct response to blowouts is a subject that should not only be addressed in depth when training drill crews; it should also form an important part of their final examinations.

Emergency teams must consider all the possibilities quickly and on an ongoing basis and consider the factors that could lead to a chosen strategy failing: e.g. safety risks, contamination, logistical hurdles, available resources, public interests, and degree of escalation. Multi-layer decisions are necessary, particularly when two strategies are pursued in tandem in the process of rectifying the damage, as in the case described above.

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