When America’s energy secretary visited Louisiana to inspect Hurricane Laura’s consequences, he reported that 30% of the emergency crude oil site was damaged. This was a severe blow to the oil industry.
Fortunately, there’s a sufficient oil supply in the market, so shortage won’t be an issue, but the current reserves won’t last long. Governor Edwards’ recounting of the damage site is a warning for oil companies to prepare adequately for hurricanes to come.
Oil producers are warned to protect their oil drilling establishments from such climatic catastrophes. Here are some measures that oil companies are planning to take.
Evacuate Non-Essential Personnel
As we unanimously agree, protection of life is a greater issue than the protection of property. Therefore, the first course of action will be to evacuate the oil rigs in case of a hurricane. All non-essential personnel must be the first to leave and find shelter in safety. Extraction and production of oil will stop days before the hurricane forecast is due, allowing a smooth transition in operations. A sudden halt in processes can cause accidents and chaos.
Shut Down Production
As the date predicted for the hurricane draws near, all remaining production plants and machinery must be shut down. Any remaining personnel on-board must evacuate the living quarters before the storm hits the production facility. Additional operations situated at a close distance from the oil rig must also follow the same safety measures if the storm changes its course and diverts to other directions.
Inspect Damage Before Resuming
Once the storm has passed, deploy aerial inspection to check the damage from above for onshore and offshore plants. The flyovers can evaluate the extent of the damage by checking signs of flooding, infrastructural destruction, spills, and architectural damage. For offshore facilities, it’s important to check for damage to the support of submerged platforms before crews can board the rig.
Send Safety Crews
Once all the damage has been repaired, assessment crews must visit the onshore and offshore facilities. Their visit will confirm whether the plants are safe to resume operations as normal.
The chances are that the storm will cost you the damage of oilfield equipment. You’ll have to reimburse the damages before drilling and production can resume a normal pace. If you’re looking for premium industrial-grade drilling equipment, check out our oilfield instrumentation, including mud pressure gauges, custom cables, or clipper weight indicators; we have them all.
Contact Instruments provides OEM instrumentation in Canada and has a production facility in Leduc, Alberta. We’re manufacturers and suppliers of oilfield drilling equipment for Canadian and American oil companies and offer a complete range of equipment.
Check out our variety or call us at 780-955-8998 for more information.