8/11/2016

Mumbai(Bombay)HighNorthPlatformFireOilRigDisastersOffshoreDrillingAccidents

MumbaiHighNorth
Rig:
Mumbai(Bombay)HighNorthPlatform
Date:
27July2005
Location: MumbaiHigh,IndianOcean
Operator: OilandNaturalGasCorporation(ONGC)
Fatalities: 22
Introduction
The Mumbai High Field was discovered in 1974 and is located in the Arabian Sea 160km
westoftheMumbaicoast.Thefieldisdividedintothenorthandsouthblocks,operatedby
the stateowned Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). The field's installations comprise
fourplatformslinkedbybridges:
NAsmallwellheadplatformbuilt1976
MHFresidentialplatformbuilt1978
MHNprocessingplatformbuilt1981
MHWrecentadditionalprocessingplatform.

1.MumbaiHighPlatforms:
NA,MHF,MHN&MHW.

Thecompleximportedfluidsfrom11othersatellitewellheadplatformsandexportedoilto
shore via undersea pipelines, as well as processing gas for gas lift operations. The seven
storey high Mumbai High North (MHN) platform had five gas export risers and ten fluid
import risers situated outside the platform jacket. In July 2005, a multipurpose support
vessel(MSV)collidedwiththeMHNplatform,severingatleastonegasriserandcausinga
massivefirewhichdestroyedtheMHNplatformwithintwohours.

2.MumbaiHighNorthfire

Collision
At time of accident on 27 July 2005, the Noble Charlie Yester jackup was undertaking
drillingoperationsinthefieldandwaspositionedovertheNAplatform.TheMSV Samudra
Surakshawasworkingelsewhereinfieldsupportingdivingoperationswhenacookonboard
the MSV cut off the tips of two fingers. Monsoon conditions onshore had grounded
helicopters,sotheinjuredpersonwastobetransferredfromtheMSVtotheMHNbycrane
lift for medical treatment. While approaching the MHN on the windward side, the MSV
experienced problems with its computerassisted azimuth thrusters so the MSV was
brought in sternfirst under manual control and the injured person was transfered off the
MSV.
At around 1605 hours, strong swells pushed the MSV towards the MHN platform, causing
the helideck at the rear of vessel to strike and sever one or more gas export risers on the
MHNjacket.Theresultantgasleakignitedwithinashorttime.Thecloseproximityofother
risers and lack of fire protection caused further riser failure. The subsequent fire engulfed
the platforms MHN and MHF, causing the complete destruction of the MHN. The fire also
engulfed the MSV Samudra Suraksha, with heat radiation causing severe damage to the
NA platform and the Noble Charlie Yester jackup. Emergency shutdown valves (ESDVs)
were in place at each end of the risers, but some risers were up to 12 km long and riser
failurecausedlargeamountsofgastobeuncontrollablyreleased.
Six divers in saturation chambers on MSV were left behind when the vessel was
abandoned. The were rescued 36 hours later. The MSV suffered extensive fire damage
and was towed away from scene but later sank on 01 Aug 2005, about 18km off Mumbai
coast.

3.MumbaiHighNorthfire

4.MSVSamudraSuraksha

5.NobleCharlieYester,with
MHWplatformtotheright.

AftermathandInvestigation
MHNcollapsedafteraroundtwohours,leavingonlythestumpofitsjacketabovesealevel.
Atotalof384personnelwereonboardtheMHNcomplexandNCYjackupatthetimeof
theaccident.Allinstallationswereabandonedwith362crewrescuedand22reporteddead
(11fatalitieswith11missing).TheflowwasshutdownviasubsurfaceESDVs.Significant
problemswerereportedwiththeabandonmentofalltheinstallationsinvolved:onlytwoof
eightlifeboatsandoneoftenliferaftsatthecomplexwerelaunched.Acleanupoperation
wasalsoundertakenaftera10nauticalmileoilspillresultedfromthefire.
Twoareaswereidentifiedforinvestigation:
theadequacyofandfailureswithintheriskcontrolsystems
theadequacyofcollisionavoidancepracticesandprocedures.
Points of interest under investigation include the location and vulnerability of the risers in
the jacket relative to platform loading zones. Some riser protection guards were in place
just above sea level, but these were only suitable for smaller offshore supply vessels and
were not considered suitable for larger multipurpose support vessels. Also under
investigation is the quantity of riser contents likely to be discharged if a riser should fail
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8/11/2016

Mumbai(Bombay)HighNorthPlatformFireOilRigDisastersOffshoreDrillingAccidents

below an emergency shutdown valve and the risk management process, including the
vesselsuitability,thecrewcompetence,communicationsandcollisionavoidancemeasures.
The Bombay High field accounted for 40% of India's domestic production, of which the
North platform accounted for one quarter. One month after the accident, production had
beenrestored60%ofthepreaccidentlevel.
Sources:
HSE(UK):MumbaiHighNorthAccident
HSE(UK):RiserSafetyInUKWaters
Riski:Review2005
Riski:OffshorePlatformFire,India
Rigzone:MumbaiHighNorthFieldhasRestoredProduction
Photos
1.HSE(UK)
2.CanadianWellsite
3.CanadianWellsite
4.HSE(UK)
5.NOPSAIntroduction

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