Abstract
Over the last year, comprehensive Hazard Evaluation exercises have been performed on two multi-platform offshore oil and gas complexes in the South East Asian region. The programme of Evaluations will now continue to address further manned installations in the same area.
The Evaluations have been performed outside any specific legislative environment which allowed a greater freedom in both the methodology and the presentation of results. This has necessitated a somewhat different approach to that which could now be called ‘classical’ in the European arena.
The programme for the work was very short requiring that the phenomenological, Hazard, studies proceeded in parallel with Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA) modelling. The software package which was used for the QRA was created to overcome the auditability problems which have previously existed in other computerised methods of performing the work, but was found to have limitations in the mass of data which could be easily handled.
Multi-platform complexes are normally considered safer than the monolithic structures found in the deeper waters, because personnel can escape across linking bridges and then muster and evacuate with ease. The overall finding of our work so far is that the risk to life posed by the structures examined is comparable with the North Sea environment, because of (1) the different approach to protection systems and (2) the ‘evolutionary’ mode in which the complexes expand and incorporate more plant and platforms.
