...enhancing international well incident intervention Introducing SWRP Interview with Keith Lewis, Project Manager, SWRP Q: What is SWRP? The Subsea Well Response Project, or SWRP, is made up of nine of the world’s leading oil and gas companies, who have come together to enhance the industry’s capability to respond to serious subsea well incidents. We are a not-for-profit initiative. Our activity is fully funded and resourced by our member companies: BG Group, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Petrobras, Shell, Statoil and Total.
Q: Why was it established? Keith Lewis is leading the Subsea Well Response Project (SWRP). Previously, he enjoyed an international career with Shell, spanning 30 years working in Europe, Middle East, Africa and USA. His latest position was Vice President of Project Development based in Houston Texas.
SWRP came about on the recommendation of the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (OGP). In light of Macondo and other serious subsea well incidents, OGP created a Global Industry Response Group, which looked into what the industry could do to better prevent, and respond to, subsea well incidents. SWRP is just one part of – and working closely with – the wider industry effort taking forward these recommendations. Our focus is on incident intervention capabilities – such as capping and containment. A newly established Wells Expert Committee is looking into incident prevention, while a Joint Industry Project is looking into oil spill response.
Q: What is SWRP hoping to achieve? SWRP was set up with four core tasks in mind: designing a capping toolbox to allow subsea wells to be shut in; designing hardware for the subsea injection of dispersant; assessing the need for, and feasibility of, a containment system suitable for international use; and evaluating potential approaches for equipment deployment. Essentially, it is a question of making available the right tools, in the right place, supported by effective deployment plans. SWRP is not a talking shop – we are working on designing real equipment that will enable faster, more effective and environmentally responsible international incident response.
Q: How does SWRP differ from other capping initiatives that have been introduced since Macondo? Existing capping and containment measures are generally intended for use in one specific region. But of course, the ocean doesn’t stick to national borders, and that means we need international cooperation if we are to respond effectively to serious well incidents. And that’s where SWRP comes in. Our ambition is to enhance international response capabilities – appropriate for a wide range of ocean and weather conditions.
...enhancing international well incident intervention
SWRP: Our progress so far By Svein Ildgruben, Communications Lead, SWRP The launch of the Subsea Well Response Project in May 2011 received substantial interest across the globe, with coverage in publications like The Financial Times, Bloomberg News and Upstream, amongst others. Our website, www.subseawellresponse.com, swiftly followed, and Keith Lewis also contributed a recent article in European Oil and Gas Magazine, introducing the Project and the broader challenges faced by the global oil and gas industry. Behind the scenes, the real work has been taking place. Enhancing serious well incident intervention capabilities on an international basis is a major technical and logistical challenge for the industry. Any solution – or solutions – must be appropriate for a range of geological and climatic conditions, able to cope with different incident scenarios and compatible with different vessels and systems. And as well as designing the equipment, development of international deployment options is also critical. Since coming together a few months ago, SWRP has taken this challenge head-on and sought to identify international response capabilities to allow practical use of response equipment in the event of an incident. During that time experts from all the companies participating in SWRP have been working sideby-side in a demonstration of real cross-industry cooperation and knowledge-sharing. Through the member companies’ international footprint, we have been able to call upon substantial local knowledge, providing invaluable input with regard to potential scenarios and solutions. Our initial phase has been focused on assessing existing capabilities and designing new equipment. The SWRP project team has studied extensively existing tools, techniques and technologies, and looked into the availability of components already stored around the world, in order to design a well intervention toolbox; a toolbox that will include capping and dispersant capabilities, that can be used in different regions around the world. These studies are still ongoing and extensive analysis and testing will be required before we can develop meaningful recommendations. We have already made significant progress and are now in discussion with a range of suppliers regarding the design of a capping toolbox / capping stack that would be appropriate for international use. While we aim to complete our initial design and assessment work before year end, the creation of SWRP has already had a positive effect on strengthening industry cooperation. We expect our activities and recommendations over the coming months to facilitate lasting improvements in industry intervention capability and we will be seeking wider industry participation to support those activities going forward.
...enhancing international well incident intervention
SWRP: Engaging with key regulators By Tormod Slåtsveen, Regulatory Coordinator, SWRP In recent months, Project Manager Keith Lewis and other members of the SWRP team have met several interested stakeholders to introduce the Project and our progress to date. In August, Keith presented at the International Offshore Petroleum Regulators and Operators Summit in Perth, Australia. He gave a well-received presentation underlining the advantages of SWRP’s collaborative approach. While in Australia SWRP also met with industry representatives through the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) and established contact with key regulators in the region. Earlier in the month, members of the SWRP team met with Jim Campbell, Energy Development Director at the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) who welcomed the SWRP project and recommended SWRP should “have close dialogues with OSPRAG, and whatever systems are developed should be viewed as complementary, comprehensive and important to the oil and gas industry”. Magne Ognedal, Director General at the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) and his team were briefed on project status later in the month. Both DECC and PSA emphasised their desire to be kept informed of SWRP’s activities. We also met with Jan Panek, Head of the European Commission’s Coal and Gas Unit and his team. Jan Panek welcomed the SWRP project confirming that it complemented the European Commission’s own work. The relationship between SWRP – focused on incident intervention – and the Wells Expert Committee – focused on incident prevention – was also welcomed. The European Commission also stated an interest in sharing information and resources crossborder. Following this early engagement, it is clear that while regulators are continuing to drive for ‘novel’ solutions and activities to halt and/or divert the wellstream at source in the event of uncontrolled flow from subsea wells, they welcome international cooperation and mutual aid. The challenge of enhancing international incident intervention capabilities has already provided the spur and opportunity for the industry to work together on an unprecedented scale. As part of our ongoing Keith Lewis speaking at the International Offshore Petroleum Regulators and Operators Summit commitment to engagement, we will meet with further key stakeholders around the world, and will continue to demonstrate the local, regional and environmental benefits of enhancing international intervention capabilities.
Find out more: www.subseawellresponse.com