Case study – Technical Safety Support on the Centrica E&P DPPA Eductor project

The Project

Centrica E&P contracted Salus Technical as the Lead Technical Safety Engineer for a brownfield operation to extend the life of several wells in the North Morecambe field, in the Morecambe hub, just off the coast of Blackpool.

We were responsible for organising and facilitating HAZID and HAZOP workshops, writing the COMOPS notification that was submitted to the regulator, as well as providing verification engineering support.

The Challenge

The project entailed a number of different challenges. As is often the case, there were strict time and budget constraints for us to operate within, as well as cultural differences to negotiate as the Aberdeen and Morecambe teams worked together for the first time on a project of this kind.

People management was a critical part of our role: we were the touch points between multiple engineering disciplines, and were responsible for managing and co-ordinating the key contractors.

The project required substantial topside modifications, including a deck extension for an educator and metering skid, which presented a lot of construction challenges.

The Solution

Given the importance of workforce engagement and the smooth integration of several different teams and disciplines to the success of the project, from the outset we embedded ourselves in the organisation. In fact, we worked out of the Morecambe office at least three days per week.

We went offshore with the verifier at vessel mobilisation to ensure that we were available immediately to resolve any potential issues.

We also continued to offer support throughout the execution of the project.

The Result

The £16 million project was carried out safely (incident-free), on time and within budget. The life-span of five 30 year-old wells was successfully extended by another 5 years.

The whole project team, including Salus Technical was awarded the IChemE Team of the Year award in 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3_rUrW4MB0