Thread: PTTEP Australasia : Montara

that's not a platform dickface, that's a jack up rig.

The platform is on the left and I'd told 'those that don't know' that already.

You are obviously in a group of lower intelligence.

The whole thing looks like a platform ya knob...still didnt burn...all the other shit around it did but.

To who? Not to me it doesn't, a platform is a permanent structure, along side it is a temporary Jack Up (Drilling Rig). The drilling rig doesn't look anything like a wellhead platform. But then again, it is you we are talking to.

Go stand on it, I bet it's still hot and warped.

Knobsy actually sounds like he knows what he is talking about.

But bet he just yelled over his cubicle and asked the guy next door...'whats this bit ere then'

Originally Posted by Bobcock

For those who don't know the PTTEP Wellhead is on the left side (foreground) of the last pic with the West Atlas Jack Up owned by SeaDrill on the right of the pic on the 3 big legs.

Thanks for the explanation BC...I thought it was all one piece so am definitely in the 'those who don't know class'...
however, unlike Nawty, I can read and learn...

What colour are they then....pvc also comes in yellow and grey, but believe they are for electrical. not plumbing.

Simple things please simple minds

Update, this case will drag on for years.............

Relevant points –

· The platform & existing wells were recently purchased by
PTTEP from another operator
· Two wells were worked on (may be the only two wells on the
structure)?
· The first well was pulled and the workover completed w/o
any problems.
· Moved to the second well and for reasons that are still
unclear, the well kicked before the BOP’s were completely installed &
tested. Some indication that the TRSV may have not been installed
(but was to believed to have been). In short, this was a well control
event resulting from breaking into the well’s pressure envelope.
· The well was leaking 400 – 500 BOPD for 10+ weeks. A second
jack-up had been brought in, a relief well drilled and had
intersected the leaking well.
· Before the leaking well could be killed from the relief
well, there was a spark from what is still an unknown source that
started the fire.
· The resulting fire was extremely hot, which resulted in the
rig’s derrick collapsing with 40 minutes of the fire starting.
· By the time the well was killed and the fire out, the
drilling package, jacking system, and main structural members in the
barge have been damaged beyond repair.
· The rig is most likely a complete write off.
· To the best of my knowledge, no one was hurt, but the
environmental and political fallout will be an issue for months/years
to come.
· Reportedly, while the rig is a write off, there is a belief
that the existing production platform and wells are still useable and
will be recovered.
· More than likely PTTEP’s senior management in Australia
will be facing prosecution.

UPDATE 5pm: A specialist team from Perth is travelling to the site of a
fire on the West Atlas oil rig, which has been spewing oil into the Timor
Sea for the past 10 weeks.
Thai-based rig operator PTTEP Australasia said earlier today the West Atlas
oil rig and Montara well head about 250km off the Kimberley coast had
caught fire during the company’s latest attempt to plug the leaking well.
The company said the leaking well was intercepted today at 9.30am and
workers had begun pumping heavy mud into the well in a bid to plug it when
the fire broke out about 12.10pm.
“The fire is burning around the cantilever portion of the West Atlas rig
which is located directly above the Montara wellhead platform,” PTTEP said
in a statement.
PTTEP said a firefighting vessel, the Nor Captain, had earlier today poured
water onto the fire but had since moved away from the rig.
“Seawater is also being pumped down the relief well from the West Triton
rig in an effort to ‘wet’ the gas and help bring the fire under control,”
the company said.
All personnel on the West Triton rig, which was towed from Singapore to
help plug the leak, and on nearby work vessels were safe and all
non-essential personnel had been evacuated.
PTTEP Australasia has been trying in vain to plug the leaking well since it
began spewing about 400 barrels of oil a day into the Timor Sea on August
21.
Federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson said the National Offshore
Petroleum Safety Authority had been called out to help respond to the fire.
Geoscience Australia and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority had been
placed on standby to provide technical advice.
“Some of the world's leading experts are working to fix the leaking well
and respond to this latest problem,” Mr Ferguson said in a statement.
“I am seeking regular advice on this matter from PTTEP, my department,
Geoscience Australia and NOPSA, as well as some of the best minds and most
experienced hands in the industry.”
Federal opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt has called for an
emergency taskforce of ministers and agencies to deal with the problem as a
priority.
Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said the community needed to know what caused
the fire and what it meant for the well-killing operation
Environmental groups have been outraged by the oil leak and supporters of
The Wilderness Society and the Greens staged a protest outside the
Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association in Perth on
Friday.
The spill has cost the Thai company about $177 million and its clean-up
bill has so far exceeded $5 million.
The Federal Government released a report on Friday revealing hundreds of
birds and marine species were at immediate risk from the spill.
While the total effects of the spill were yet to be determined, the report
found scientists had found dead and dying birds and sea snakes in the area.
They also counted 462 whales and dolphins, 2801 birds, 62 sea snakes and 25
turtles in the affected areas over five days of observation.

Fucking whale killers......Thais have become whale killers....and dolphins.

Did you know dolphins are the only other animals that have sex for pleasure.....

PTTEP finally caps Montara well
Wednesday, 13 January, 2010


Ready for action: ALERT Well Control team members head for the Montara platform to complete plugging and capping operations at the H1 wellhead

Thailand’s PTT Exploration & Production (PTTEP) has finally plugged and secured the H1 well at the Montara well head platform in the Timor Sea, which spilled hydrocarbons into the ocean between August and November last year following a blowout.

Montara was originally due to come on stream at the end of last year at a rate of 35,000 barrels per day, but the blowout and spill have forced PTTEP to delay the start-up.

“The situation at Montara continues to be challenging. There are many steps to be undertaken before we can make full assessments of the status of the platform and development work can be resumed in 2010 to safely bring the Montara field into production,” PTTEP’s Australian director Jose Martins said today.

The leak from the H1 well was stopped on 3 November after more than 3400 barrels of heavy mud was pumped down the relief well from the nearby West Triton rig, stopping the flow of gas, oil and water. While the situation had remained stable since then, it was not a permanent solution to secure the well. The plugging operations were always planned so the H1 well could be safely secured.

Last year PTTEP estimated the leak from the damaged wellbore at between 300 to 400 barrels of oil per day since the blowout in late August and early November, but the Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism told a Senate committee in late October that it believed up to 2000 bpd was leaking into the sea.

Based on the Thai operator's figures, between 21,300 and 28,400 barrels, leaked into the Timor Sea since the blowout.

The area surrounding the Montara development is home to a wide variety of marine wildlife, including several species of dolphin, sea turtles, sea snakes and humpback whales, as well as migratory sea birds.

PTTEP acquired Montara in late 2008 after it took over Australian junior Coogee Resources.

The Montara project covers the Montara, Swift and Skua fields in blocks AC/L7 and AC/L8, which lie in 80 metres of water. The field was to be brought on stream via a floating production, storage and offloading vessel.

PTTEP said previously that Coogee's proven and probable oil reserves were 45 million barrels plus significant contingent resources from its interests in blocks AC/L7, AC/RL7, AC/P32, AC/P34 and AC/P40.

upstreamonline.com

We are currently bidding to build the replacement wellhead.

Remember to send me the documents for some mods..

Good stuff BC.

The jacket is the legs that sits on the seabed with 4 (in this case) 'legs' sticking out of the water..

BTW, how deep is the water? ie, how long are the legs that have to reach and sit on the seabed?

80 meters - about 240 feet. The legs are 350 feet or longer. 60 foot air gap. Plus the width of the hull.

Company says cap left off leaking well
ANDREA HAYWARD
January 14, 2010

The Thai-based company behind an oil spill in the Timor Sea has revealed, ahead of a federal government inquiry, that a containment cap was not installed at a well that spewed oil for more than 10 weeks.

A submission from PTTEP Australasia, which operates the Montara oilfield off Western Australia's northwest coast, has been published on the Montara Commission of Inquiry website.

The inquiry, to be headed by former public servant David Borthwick, will summon witnesses, take evidence on oath and require individuals and corporations to hand over relevant documents.

PTTEP said it was aware of the cause of the spill after it plugged the leaking H1 well, near the West Atlas oil rig, in early November, but would wait until the inquiry to reveal it.

"When the work on the wells recommenced in August 2009, PTTEP discovered that the 340mm pressure-containing corrosion cap required by the drilling program had not been installed during the suspension of the H1 Well in March 2009," the company's submission says.

"The drilling Superintendent had been advised by the drilling supervisor on the West Atlas, in an email advice of offline activities at the time of the March 2009 suspension, that the 340mm pressure containing corrosion cap was installed."

The success of the relief well operation confirmed the source of the flow was in fact in the 244mm casing in the H1 Well and the most likely cause of that was a channel in the cement in the casing of the 244mm shoe track, the company said.

The corrosion cap was removed on August 20 to clean up corroded casing threads in the well and was not reinstalled, PTTEP said.

Oil, gas and condensate began leaking from the well on August 21, prompting the evacuation of workers on the West Atlas rig.

The National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (NOPSA) and the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts have also made submissions to the inquiry, which will examine the information ahead of public hearings.

Hearings are expected to take place between February 22 and March 31, with public hearings to be held in Canberra.

The terms of reference include:

* the cause of the spill;
* whether the regulatory regime governing the oil drilling operation was adequate; * the performance of relevant people acting under that regime;
* the adequacy of the response; and
* the environmental impact of the spill.

news.smh.com.au

Originally Posted by Mid

PTTEP said it was aware of the cause of the spill after it plugged the leaking H1 well, near the West Atlas oil rig, in early November, but would wait until the inquiry to reveal it.

....would wait and hope nobody would find out, is probably closer to the truth.....

Originally Posted by Chairman Mao

how long are the legs that have to reach and sit on the seabed?

The jackets I described and showed pics of are designed for a water depth of 180 - 243ft.

I don't think we have ever installed a design as low as 180ft but we have been very close to the 243ft.

The answer dotcom gave regarding legs was for the jack up drilling rig not the jacket (although the water depths were consistent).

The WD of Montara I don't know yet, funnily enough we are only being asked to look at the topsides not the jacket, though I'd be suprised if they did have to build a new one.

I would "guesstimate" the water depth at 198' judging the amount of leg left in the air on Jack Ups

Thai PTTEP says Montara start-up delayed to H2/2011
(Reporting by Pisit Changplayngam; Writing by Khettiya Jittapong; editing by Alan Raybould)
Fri Jan 15, 2010

BANGKOK, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production PTTE.BK said on Friday the start-up of the Montara field in Australia would be delayed to the second half of 2011 from this year.

The company expected revenue from its operations in the Montara field, which suffered an oil leak and fire in late 2009, to come in 2011, according to presentations given to analysts.

PTTEP, the exploration flagship of PTT PTT.BK, Thailand's biggest energy firm, said on Monday it planned to invest about $13 billion from 2010 to 2014.

($1 32.85 Baht)

reuters.com

Oil leak group wins Australian licence


The PTTEP rig at the height of the oil leak.
[ABC]

Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board has approved the sale of an exploration licence to a Thai company involved in a large oil spill in the Timor Sea.

The company, PTT Exploration and Production, bought the licence for the 421 square kilometre block, Oliver, from Stuart Petroleum.

The Australian Government is investigating why one of the company's rigs leaked oil for 70 days into the Timor Sea.

Chris Smyth, the Healthy Oceans campaigner at the Australian Conservation Foundation, says he is disappointed the government did not wait until the inquiry had finished its investigation.

"The company needs to wait for the report from the inquiry and the government needs to also wait for that and to basically say, look we're going to put things on hold for the moment."

The Oliver block is in the Timor Sea off north-western Australia, about 40 kilometers from where PTTEP operates two existing blocks, Jabiru and Challis.

radioaustralianews.net.au

Montara drill boss denies changing statement
18 March 2010


Inferno: the Montara wellhead paltform and jack-up West Atlas were engulfed in flames shortly before the H1 well was killed on 3 November


A PTTEP drilling supervisor today denied changing his recollection of an event that may have helped trigger the blowout at the Montara field, off north-west Australia last year, after speaking to a senior executive with the Thai operator.

In its fourth day of hearings in Canberra, the Borthwick inquiry today heard from Noel Treasure, who was working under contract to PTTEP as its drilling supervisor on board the Seadrill-owned jack-up rig West Atlas.

Treasure was working on the rig in March last year when cement casing work - designed to preserve the integrity of the suspended well - was carried out on the H1 well at the Timor Sea field.

The inquiry heard problems arose as cementing was being carried out.

Crew on the West Atlas believed they solved the problem by pumping 16.5 barrels of seawater into the well's casing and letting the cement set, however the inquiry heard that this may have weakened the barrier, which has since been identified as a root cause of the blowout and subsequent oil spill.

Counsel assisting the inquiry Tom Howe QC today questioned Treasure about changes he made to his statements to National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (Nopsa) investigators about the cementing job.

Howe showed Treasure statements he made to Nopsa and an unsigned draft witness statement to the inquiry where Treasure said he was told by a PTTEP official onshore, Chris Wilson, to pump the 16.5 barrels back into the casing.

However, in a statutory declaration to the inquiry dated last Monday, Treasure said he now thinks had made the decision to pump back the 16.5 barrels.

In evidence given today, Treasure maintained that he made the decision to pump back the cement.

Treasure admitted that he had spoken on the telephone to another PTTEP executive, Craig Duncan, last week about his draft witness statement.

He said he asked Duncan if he had seen his statement, telling the inquiry that Duncan replied: "I hope it's correct and you could substantiate it."

Treasure told the inquiry his conversation with Duncan prompted him to go back and re-examine his files, but denied it led to him changing his story.

"It prompted me to do checks to make sure I can substantiate it because I was having trouble remembering and I was so nervous about it I was really worried about it, and I wasn't feeling right," he said.

Treasure told the inquiry he had recently had a hip replacement operation and was still recuperating from surgery.

The H1 well at the Montara field blew out on 21 August last year, spewing an as-yet undetermined volume of oil, gas and condensate into the Timor Sea.

The blown-out bore was eventually plugged via a relief well, drilled by Seadrill's West Triton jack-up, on 3 November.

upstreamonline.com