Operator slapped with North Sea safety notice

News Digest (www.upstreamonline.com)

Improvement Notice for Buzzard Platform Integrity

The UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has issued an improvement notice to CNOOC Petroleum Europe concerning the operational integrity of pressure vessels on its Buzzard platform in the UK North Sea. The notice was prompted by failures to conduct mandatory safety inspections, with some vessels not inspected for up to 17 years since their commissioning. During an HSE inspection, the company could not demonstrate the integrity of a specific vessel, V-1500, and is now undertaking significant remedial engineering work to prove ongoing operational safety.

Systemic Management Failures

The HSE identified deficiencies in CNOOC Petroleum Europe's risk-based management system, which led to deferred inspections for several hydrocarbon-containing topside pressure vessels. These deferrals lacked the necessary risk-based justifications and were not aligned with industry standards. This case is part of a broader HSE warning issued in February to North Sea operators, emphasizing the need to tighten health and safety standards and address substantial maintenance backlogs, as non-compliance with safety regulations had become normalized.

Recurring Compliance Issues

This is the second improvement notice CNOOC Petroleum Europe has received regarding pressure vessel integrity on the Buzzard platform, following a similar notice in 2023 for vessel V-3501. The HSE criticized the company for not conducting a broader review of process failures or implementing adequate corrective actions after the initial enforcement, indicating a serious deficiency in the asset integrity management system and a failure to learn from past integrity failings.

Company Response and Additional Incidents

A CNOOC Petroleum Europe spokesperson stated that safety is the company's foremost cultural belief and affirmed its commitment to protecting health, safety, and the environment. The company is collaborating with the HSE to meet the notice's conditions and has initiated a review of its inspection strategy for hydrocarbon-containing topside vessels at Buzzard. The spokesperson noted that no safety or environmental incidents have occurred and emphasized that robust risk control measures are in place. Additionally, in January, the company was fined for excessive flaring at the Buzzard field due to repeated, unconsented venting events in 2022, and it has indicated that UK fiscal conditions will prevent it from advancing with platform electrification plans.

27 November 2025

This material is an AI-assisted summary based on publicly available sources and may contain inaccuracies. For the original and full details, please refer to the source link. Based on materials by Rebecca Conan. All rights to the original text and images remain with their respective rights holders.