2016 SafeOCS Annual Report: Blowout Prevention System Events and Equipment Component Failures

BTS Productshttps://doi.org/10.21949/15024492017PDFTech ReportBeattie, LindsayBrumbaugh, StephenLemons, AmandaUnited States. Department of Transportation. Bureau of Transportation StatisticsMighty, AntonUnited States. Department of Transportation. Bureau of Transportation StatisticsUnited StatesSystem safetySafety engineeringAnnual reportsOil well drillingOffshore drilling platformsMechanical failureRisk analysisRisk assessmentFailureSafeOCSEquipment failureWell control ruleWCRBlowout preventionnot-in-operationin-operationstack pullLoss of ContainmentLOCBOP2016The SafeOCS 2016 Annual Report, produced by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), summarizes blowout prevention (BOP) equipment failures on marine drilling rigs in the Outer Continental Shelf. It includes an analysis of equipment component failures and other key information such as failure causes, operational impacts, and opportunities to improve data quality. The report is based on information collected through SafeOCS, a data program initiated in response to recommendations by the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. The commission recommended that the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) develop requirements to collect more accurate data on leading indicators of potential risk to all offshore activities. BTS, a principal federal statistical agency, entered an interagency agreement with BSEE in 2016 to operate the SafeOCS program. BTS began collecting notifications of equipment component failures as required by BSEE's Well Control Rule, which went into effect July 28, 2016. All SafeOCS data are collected under the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 and protected from legal discovery and FOIA. The data are precursor safety information, and none of the events were associated with loss of well containment, adverse environmental impact, or negative effect on personnel safety. To review the notifications, BTS retained subject matter experts in drilling operations, equipment testing, equipment design and manufacturing, root cause failure analysis, quality assurance and control, and process design. BTS also consulted with an external technical review team including representatives of the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), contractors, and operators.123