Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Ltd. is concentrating on improving offshore safety as a result of the Piper Alpha accident.
It is using formal safety assessment techniques in design, construction, and eventual operation of the replacement for Piper Alpha, Piper Platform B, as well as Saltire Platform A.
The company has taken the initiative in development of new failsafe subsea emergency shutdown valves. Fourteen such valves have been installed on the Claymore platform at a cost of 28 million ($55 million) and will be fitted to two new platforms.
On the Claymore platform, separation between the gas compression module and the utilities module has been widened to improve protection against fire or blast for accommodations, control room, and diesel fire water pumps.
Claymore also has been fitted with added equipment to give crews better access to the three main evacuation systems: helicopter, lifeboat, and life raft.
The Piper B and Saltire A platforms will have safe haven muster areas with direct access to free-fall lifeboats. This will allow workers to go directly from the accommodation unit to the safe haven muster area and into lifeboats without being exposed to the atmosphere.
Free-fall lifeboats will be protected by a fire shield. The boats have a track system that will extend over the fire shield when the boat is ready to be launched.
Free-fall lifeboats can be 50 m away from the platform in 3 sec. They are self-propelled and self righting. A sprinkler system will keep them cool as they move through the water.
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