Ice Risk in Norway's Offshore Fields

Published Oct 23, 2015 8:50 AM by The Maritime Executive

Production commenced at Norway’s Goliat field in the Barents Sea last year. While the Goliat field is considered shallow, experts have believe that it has immense long-term potential due to significant oil and gas reserves in the surrounding area. However, development in the region does come with risks.

Norwegian safety regulators warn that future oil and gas installations could be forced to disconnect their rigs due to the ice surrounding the Barents Sea.

The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia. While much of its southern half is ice-free year-round, the northern half’s composition varies depending on the season. Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) reports that sea ice and icebergs can be found south of Bear Island, located in the western portion of the Barents Sea, and could pose a risk to future platforms.

While the chances remains low, the Goliat field could be at risk in the future. Currently, the chances of the Goliat platform being struck by an iceberg are low enough that disconnection strategies are unnecessary. However, the Johan Castberg field, which is licensed to Statoil with development expected to begin in 2017, will likely need to be prepared for disconnection if ice inches closer.

The Norwegian government requires energy companies working in arctic waters to situate place installations at least 30 miles away from ice zones and ice sheets to safeguard the regions environmental assets and prevent accidents.

PSA’s Arne Kvitrud said: “The best solution is to avoid ice hitting the platform at all. It could damage risers or other structures. So the aim is to keep well clear. The most recent drilling jobs have had to be 50 kilometres from the marginal ice zone. Should that get any closer, the rig must disconnect. No operations have been so close to the ice edge."

Despite the potential for risk, it is unlikely that energy companies will shy away from the region. Last year, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) called Goliat a large field with an infrastructure that will be significant for the development of new oil discoveries in surrounding areas.

NPD is responsible for ensuring that new development is safe in the region.

Goliat was scheduled to begin production in 2013, but was delayed to spring 2015 due to challenges in the engineering and construction processes of its the storage and production facility (FPSO).