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CNOOC¡¯S PROGRESS OF OIL SPILL RESPONSE IN CHINA £¬In the past 10 years leading from the huge demanding for oil the Bohai bay has been generally acknowledged to be one of most booming areas for oil and gas production in the world. At the same time the track record of state owned oil company CNOOC in maximizing the efforts to combat the oil spill incidents through HSE management and technical innovation in the upwards.
Including Bohai Bay, CNOOC has four major oil production areas in Chinese continental shelf, which are Western South China Sea, Eastern South China Sea and East China Sea. About 800 wells in various blocks in Bohai area are contributing more than 50 percent output production for CNOOC up today. High rigs density and a large number of FPSO operators there increase the environmental vulnerability for one of China's most beautiful bay.
Another threat is from transportation. It has also contributed tremendous hazards of oil spill accident events to Bohai sea since the shipping development constantly up to 100 ships per day. The threat on the ocean environment seems to be reality as results of increased incidental frequency, prevent the oil spill impact has been the first indication that a company is aware of environmental concerns.
The social legitimacy CNOOC committed is to provide the country¡¯s fast economic growth with the competitive and efficient technologies, to better explore and produce conventional energies and equivalently, to comply with environmental regulations and legislations.
With full understanding of exploration issues and support the full burden of national interest, CNOOC has been solicitude on the clean energy policy? from very beginning, and emphases the HSE of priority at all branches.
Not only provide clean technologies required and bring the field operations free of dirty fossil fuels and know-how, also CNOOC investing in long term projects designed to improve the environment, which cost money and beyond what legal standards require.
Established in Bohai sea with such commitment and primary support from CNOOC in 2001, China Offshore Environmental Services Ltd known as COES, commenced to provides oil spill response services for CNOOC to meet the country¡¯s growing challenge of environmental impact and was involved in this vital industry.
Received heavy investment up to 10 million US dollars? from CNOOC for equipments enhancement, and improving resources both personnel and facilities, COES has been providing efficient tier 2 services to the clients operating in China offshore since October 2001, offering consultancy and training assessment services to upgrade the preparedness and prevention work, playing a significant role in advice of governmental environmental agencies in favor of tough legislations and regulations in China, in line with the description of international environmental conventions.
COES¡¯s entry into the market seems no doubt enrich the choice of services for oil spill response need globally, bringing more competition among the suppliers, additionally, through the progress made by and safeguard of COES, CNOOC has proved how a company can be beneficial in strengthen its marketing position by including the environmental responsibility on top of strategy.
The progress of CNOOC and COES have risen a case of example for many countries who intend to start building their own national oil spill response structure but lack of the required experiences and resources.
COMMITMENT OF GREEN ENERGY POLICY£¿
The degree of scrutiny of a new prospective clients will naturally depend on their existing track-record, the policy and strategy, both in the Chinese Territorial waters and elsewhere, of environmental awareness and emergency response competence.
For sure of the green policy is fully understood and implemented at all members of clients and for the development and maintenance of effective quality disciplines, COES is keen of the importance of quality working force assurance in all aspects of clients environmental performance, and in particular on providing sufficient training in provision of services which comply with the requirements of the policy.
Before COES stand up to provide the standby support, there were number of international operators in Bohai sea. Under the OCES (Operators Co-operative Emergency Services) and NA (National Associations) framework under which oil and gas companies operating in Chinese territorial waters co-operate and share resources in the event of emergency situations.
COES respects NA¡¯s own environmental strategic plan and not interfering their manner of preparedness, rather providing a standard interface of emergency assistance code, under the framework of AOS legislations for clients to access, their resources have been shared to contribute the entire national response contingency network. To enable the resources maintained and managed properly and the response equipments are workable at anytime, COES was so to permit the efficient/ reliability tracking and inspection of each individual company whether in house or its subcontractors. Based on key issues identified for further improvement and development need, companies are subject to be invited to discuss on regular base.
Working experiences cross over offshore industrial and environmental aspects, COES has progressed herself in position of advising the regulatory administration and also industry understand key hazards and risks associated with these industrial activities. Results of this assessment likely provide a basis for development of tough regulations concerning further offshore activities in the Bohai Bay.
Offshore operators routinely require knowledge of the impacts of inputs to the marine environment and the sensitive zones locally, COES is delighted to prospect new operators will be carefully screened to assess their ability to manage in maximizing economic oil recovery with due regard for the ocean environment with sound commitment.
While FPSO is a relatively leading force in offshore oil production in Chinese waters and adjacent areas the structures have been successfully used in the past 10 years, making their use attractive to operators eager to develop international waters discoveries. COES recommends an assessment and inspection to ensure that all facets of FPSO use are addressed, and in complete accordance with international regulating and administrating agencies.
In response to the findings of potential risk on offshore platform environment safety concerns and in review of all the offshore legislation and implemented upgraded, COES has planed the consultancy services to help clients in assessment of all existing and new offshore installations, for acceptance to these legislation and regulation.
This included both mobile and fixed installations. By providing the basic training course for oil spill handling and guideline, faults analysis following demonstrating of operational requirements with continuing assurance of regular based, COES has offered clients assistance of the improvement of contingency plans and arrangements account for emergency response.
The licensing administration requires that only an approved operator may manage or supervise the drilling and production phase of an oil or gas development with sufficient preparedness evidence both resource and management as well as contracted with a specialist response organization like COES as standby supporter. The objective of this requirement is important to ensure that field operations are undertaken competently.
As a working team, all operators contribute to the overall response capability to contend the impact, and each operator can influence some part of the quality of response, or becomes the weakest link on the chain, as a consequence has both an obligation and a right to provide and expect of duty, to and from other operators.
Unto the year 2005, COES has perfected the oil spill response scheme, provided the relative parties and clients with general knowledge¡¢skills and real operations training on oil spill response, editing the verified maintenance manual, and diagnosing and repairing the facilities faults in time.
Training courses have been created and scheduled last year for specific dates, and delegates requiring training, can be assigned to the courses. A number of management reports are also designed including attendance records, training days, assessment reports and a course calendar table to schedule courses on specific dates and specific purpose. Once delegates have been assigned to the course, it is subject to start recording the outcome of the training results.
COMPETENCE GROWING THROUGH PRACTICE
A company must have the ability to adapt to change in order to grow, but underlying that skill and technology are set of tools. Over the past year 2005 COES have had conducted or joined a number of exercises aims to improve their response capabilities and to adapt the change.
September 8, 2005, under the assignment of Tianjin Branch, MSA, participated in an oil spill response for the 2005¡¯ aerial maritime comprehensive, COES response team took part a multi-function skimmer operation and deployment of containment booms successful.
5 days later September 13, 2005, COES has taken part the comprehensive emergency response exercise hosted by CNOOC. Located at Bohai waters surrounding QiKou platform. Because the challenge from uncertainty on offshore activities is great, so it is important to be invited to the event to prove COES¡¯s oil spill response capability and willingness.
The exercise on two vessels equipped with skimmer and multi-functional skimmer, 200 meter containment booms and dispersant spraying facilities, started from platform anti-fire action and men-force survived from rig by helicopter. Two of initialed programs, the dispersant spraying and booms deployment were conducted in success.
The public and environmental protection workers in Hainan island were on high alert against a huge size of unknown sourced floating oil sludge in the end of year 2004
Under threat from the spill event, the huge size of sludge occupied was said to be first time in the island, probably even in China. This is clearly advanced character for national emergency response system in China, a mass of local volunteer including some organized students were called and came forward to the polluted beach. It is also clearly, however, the mass of untrained volunteer might cause worse situation without clear instruction and properly managed.
Response to the urgent request by local government, 4 member of specialist group from CNOOC was sent immediately. In rush to beat the time, experts conducted the necessary survey, investigation and analysis, and recommended to the response commander with detailed instruction. A training course venue was setup on the entrance and instruction to be given by CNOOC and COES experts, to ensure that nobody can entry the scene of beach without beach cleanup knowledge and skill.
The successful operation has gained great reputation for CNOOC and its subordinate-division COES because of it professional manner and clear instruction, in conjunction with support from local government and mainly local work force.
In August 2005, COES response team has a success cleanup operation in Tianjin harbor, on request of MSA, Tianjin branch. The rapid response team dedicated to the removal of oil spilt from dock which has been limited by the narrow space to allow the very thin oil spilt removal. A few hours later, equipped with a newly repaired boat and the justified equipments and materials such as sorbent pads the response team overcame these difficulties.
Recent improvements in produced water treatment plant is another case. The improvements in this area are an achievement for the offshore oil industry as the amount of water produced expected with oil increases as Bohai oil fields mature. This highlights the considerable efforts being made by both CNOOC and COES in minimizing the oil in produced water discharges.
To meet this aim the COES has adopted a systematic and organized approach to quality management to ensure that the newly restructured produced water plant is fully satisfied the requirement throughout the quality control system and properly designed functions. Innovative technology development in water separating and tank cleanup will be started soon and petrochemical laboratory, model analysis station are also expected setting up within the plant.
INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The primary factor standing the excellent response record is the advanced technology and adequate input on measures behind.
Understanding and predicting the environmental impact of water and gas discharges from offshore installations is one issue to the environmental management and planning of offshore facilities. Preventing to make things never happen is better than remove it afterwards. COES has put clear defined R& D vision on top agenda.
Date in year in month of June 2002 2003 2004 2005
Number of Installations Permitted to Discharge Oil 83 78 94 98
Up to par production Water Discharged in Cubic Meter 8,355,435 6,518,471 6,206,116 8,205£¬396
Oiled Cuttings in Cubic Meter 849.03 938.89 60.29 109.5
Treated Cuttings in Cubic Meter - 3090.16 3129.55 2676.5
Tank wash-up waste water 87.67 606.10 1294.2 1683.5
Table 1: Data collected by SOA for waste water discharged in Chinese Territorial waters
Data statistic made by SOA has demonstrated that the number of installations in Chinese territorial waters increase, the untreated oiled solids and liquids decrease as results of the tough measured and innovative technologies introduced.
During the time between 2001 to 2005, COES has expressed strongly their concern for the environment consider more concrete action, such as making R&D efforts by working close with governmental agencies and institutes.
Other results of these efforts made, consultancy, software and modeling services which reduce risk and improve the reliability, safety and through life economics of offshore rigs and FPSOs, have already been laid on the table of COES main services to offer clients as whole.
Current consultancy services COES can deliver are
• Offshore Environmental Performance Assessment
• Consultation on a possible promote license for offshore operators in China territorial waters
• Modeling analysis on compulsory stoking obligations for effective oil spill response
• Risk and cost reliability analysis and modeling the useful tools for environmental risk assessment
Clearly, there are still gaps and priorities in mind of COES management, underlying that skill and technology are set of tools. Over the coming year 2006 the company will continue to invest in a range of technological projects to keep the advanced position and competence.
This includes:-
• The trajectories are affected by inexactness ("uncertainty") in current and wind observations and forecasts.
• How spilled oil is predicted to change chemically and physically ("weather") during the time that it remains on the water surface.
• How long distance spilled oil will reach the sensitive zones.
The system has gone a long way to helping clients realize the significant benefits which can be achieved through improving the fast trace the spilled oil and then the efficiency of their response operations.
SUMMERY
Having met the challenges in its duty to contend the oil spill risk in China, COES has paved the way for fast development in competency and consolidated further grow from ground zone. It provided
Planning with nature conservation, taken all factors including from clients into consideration from the earliest stages when business setup.
Consulted with relative organizations, held a science workshop with leading academics to decide on appropriate surveys
Working closely with governmental offices of administration and legislation
International co-operation is important for level of competency upgraded
Team work and multi-scale engagement exercises gain the company a strong and successful relationship with the communities, clients, governmental departments, forged over the coming years.
For instance, quantitative technique will be next. Such as fault trees, event trees and consequence analysis, depend on hard reliable data and come up with a risk number, the risk contours around a chemical storage. Stakeholders must decide what risks are acceptable and unacceptable to them. Sometimes new and more thorough investigations are needed to determine the final priorities, but this phase will produce a lost with negligible/acceptable risks, unacceptable risks and tolerable risks under the requirements of Chinese Environmental legislation.
During the risk evaluation, rig management will need some insight in possible solutions to eliminate, mitigate or tolerate the risks. This is an excellent opportunity to consult COES professions because they may know innovative solutions.
Another use of this technique is COES¡¯s response network establishment and installation. To help the nation in developing national oil spill response network in a sound, logical way at limited cost, the company invited the ¡° risk evaluation and cost analysis tool ¡±to introduce in its satellite stations establishment project and train the implementation team in the AO systems development. Great benefit was gained by this process and is highly recommended to others aspiring to speed up the extension.
In cooperation with China Marine University, COES ¡®s Spilt Oil Dispersion Information System has been developed to predict the location of impact from a particular source, its movement and trajectory for entire China Offshore and shoreline.
The analysis of spilt oil movement and property identifying based the data assigned of the speed and direction of currency and wind, has significantly helped operators in dealing with response more quick and precisely. The system can also predict the central point and the thickness, area, dimension of the spilt oil with adjustable function during the processing. The length of shoreline affected by the spilt oil can be carried out by this system since the database of sensitive area, the town onshore and the facilities offshore has been installed.
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