A ductile tensile overload fracture of a subsea jumper’s load limiting joint led to an estimated 1,926 bbl of crude oil leaking from a Shell Offshore Inc. offshore platform in the Gulf of Mexico on May 11, 2016, a US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement panel’s investigation concluded.
Loss of containment in the glider jumper on Subsea Well No. 4 on Green Canyon Block 245 was caused by the bending loads imposed by the partial burial of the Glider No. 4 jumper and subsequent subsiding of the subsea sled No. 2, BSEE said as it released the findings on Mar. 9.
The panel recommended that when drilling the riserless portion of a subsea well nearby pipelines, sleds, subsea wells, and other subsea systems, operators should ensure the resulting drill cuttings and cement are not adversely affecting or posing additional risks to existing subsea infrastructure.
BSEE recommended in a Sept. 12, 2016, safety alert that operators review their emergency shut-in procedures and requirements because factors involved in the failure are common in the gulf. The well and subsea equipment were in about 3,500 ft of water, with production tied back through a manifold to a host facility nearly 7 miles away via a 6-in. flow line, it said.
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