Explosion on Maui 'unlikely’

Press, 12 July 1988, Page 16

Explosion on Maui 'unlikely’

PA New Plymouth A catastrophe such as the Piper Alpha disaster is unlikely aboard the Maui platform off South Taranaki, the Ministry of Energy’s chief petroleum inspector, Mr Brent Sakey, says. The Maui partners, through the operator, Shell BP and Todd Oil Services, Ltd, had spent * millions of dollars improving the platform in recent years and incorporating modern safety features, he said. The company was “diligent and vigorous” in preventative maintenance routines, he said. The Maui platform had a fireproof bulkhead between the crew accommodation and the working area which, from news media reports, the Piper Alpha platform did not have. It also had a water deluge system to contain any fire. Asked to compare the two rigs in light of last week’s tragic explosion aboard the North Sea

Piper Alpha rig, Mr Sakey said the rigs were similar in design, as they were both built about 12 years ago. Both the Alpha and Maui platform had separate pipelines coming from the seabed to the processing areas where different hydrocarbons were treated

before being piped ashore.

However, the Alpha platform handled mostly oil and not gas whereas Maui was mostly gas with little condensate (light oil).

It seemed there was a medium gas leak on Piper Alpha which was not detected soon enough. A big escape from the well would trigger the subsea valves to close. A small escape of gas on the platform would probably be ignited by static electricity with flaring but no explosion.

Mr Sakey said he had last been on the Maui platform late last year to inspect equipment.