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Fires – 2001 (total 84)

01-Jan-2001 - Coastal Oil & Gas Corporation

Remarks: It was discovered that an oil mist had been weeping from one of the oil storage tank’s vent/vacuum hatches. High winds had directed the mist toward the compressor exhaust. The LSH alarm had failed possibly due to cold weather, causing a sludge buildup in the safety circuit. The oil storage tank was promptly pumped down. A faulty automatic switch, calling for the pump to activate, was also a contributing cause.

13-Jan-2001 - The Houston Exploration Company
(also listed as Explosion and Injury (6))

Remarks: A jack-up barge was working as the support vessel for construction being performed on the platform. It was in position and jacked up next to the platform. An explosion and flash fire occurred in the engine compartment and the super structure of the jack up barge.

30-Jan-2001 - BP Amoco Corporation

Remarks: Smoke was observed coming from the rig centrifuge unit. The unit was immediately shut down and the small fire was extinguished with a 20-lb. dry chemical unit. The fire was located on the bearing housing on the motor end of the centrifuge.

01-Feb-2001 - BP Amoco Corporation

Remarks: The night galley hand observed smoke in the laundry room. There was a small fire detected in the vicinity of the clothes dryer. The fire was extinguished immediately with a 30 lb. dry chemical unit.

02-Feb-2001 - Freeport-McMoRan Sulphur LLC

Remarks: A fire ignited in the molten sulphur storage tank and skid. Apparently oxygen entered a faulty atmospheric hatch cover in the drain skid of the sulphur storage tank and mixed with blanket gas in the tank, creating a small fire. The water deluge system in the tank was activated, and the skid was flooded with water, extinguishing the fire with no damages.

04-Feb-2001 - BP Amoco Corporation

Remarks: The gas generator shut down. The operator attempted to restart the gas generator when he heard a noise. Upon investigation, the operator observed a flame coming from the generator starter and supply line. A piece of ½ inch rope was on fire. It was extinguished immediately with minimal damage.

06-Feb-2001 - Coastal Oil & Gas Corporation

Remarks: The platform gas compressor was shut down when a small, 10-second, condensate flash fire occurred. The operator had drained the compressor fuel filter into the skid and tried to restart the compressor. The starter bendix contacted a flywheel guard and ignited the condensate in the compressor skid. The fire was extinguished immediately with no damages.

06-Feb-2001 - Stone Energy Corporation

Remarks: Operators were transferring aviation fuel from a transporter to the main holding tank using a double diaphragm pump. The fuel source was platform gas, and when the pump was started, the operator observed a momentary flash from the port of the pump. The fuel source was turned off and operations ceased. No damage or injuries were reported.

11-Feb-2001 - BP Amoco Corporation

Remarks:  A basket containing scaffold tubing was being transferred from a supply vessel to the facility. While swinging the load over a turbine lube oil cooler, the crane tag line became entangled around some metal framing causing the load to rotate. The flagging crew supervisor immediately stopped the operation. Due to the load mass and momentum, the basket struck a purge valve located on top of the lube oil cooler, causing this valve, which was under pressure, to be sheared off at the cooler. The tag line became entangled on a temperature indicator on top of the lube oil cooler. When the tag line became taut, it spun the basket around. The metal basket then came in contact with a purge valve mounted vertically on top of the lube oil cooler for the produced water injector. Lube oil was then sprayed approximately 25 feet into the air, on the deck, and on a turbine exhaust vent, which ignited the oil. Once oil contacted the turbine exhaust vent, the released material flashed a flame but was quickly extinguished. One barrel of lube oil went overboard.

13-Feb-2001 - BP Amoco Corporation

Remarks: A small fire occurred on the gas compressor due to the packing of one cylinder leaking gas that came into contact with the compressor dryer exhaust manifold. The fire was extinguished immediately with a 30 lb. chemical unit, with minimal damage to the compressor.

24-Feb-2001 - Chevron U.S.A. Inc.

Remarks: Two platform operators, one field mechanic, and one SCADA technician were working on the platform. The platform operators had isolated the fuel filter in order to change out the filter element. As trapped fuel gas was being bled off the fuel filter, the PSL on the fuel filter tripped and initiated shut down of the No. 2 turbine generator. This resulted in a total platform shut-in due to a loss of electrical power. The PSL on the fuel filter was inadvertently not placed in bypass prior to isolating the fuel filter and bleeding off the trapped fuel gas pressure. Attempts to restart the turbine by the field mechanic failed. On the second failed attempt, a backfire occurred as the turbine was winding down. Immediately subsequent to the backfire, the platform operator discovered the fire in the turbine generator enclosure. The fire was contained inside the turbine generator enclosure and outside the generator building directly above the turbine vent. The fire was successfully extinguished within minutes with portable dry chemical and foam units. There were no injuries and no pollution during this incident.

28-Feb-2001 - Westport Resources Corporation
(also listed as Collision and Explosion)

Remarks: A M/V was enroute to an offshore location in deep East Cameron. The vessel captain stated that the weather was foggy. He noticed a platform on radar and made a course correction, and then the vessel hit one platform in a complex of four structures (tied together with bridges). The vessel went underneath the “A” platform, between two pilings. A 16 inch pipeline was ruptured causing a flash explosion and the escaping gas burned for about 10-15 minutes. The bridge to the platform quarters was blown overboard (or burned) and fell into the Gulf. The boat backed out from under the structure and picked up the operator personnel from the quarters platform. The boat had extensive damage to the bow and super structure. “A” platform and equipment onboard was totaled, buildings and equipment on the “FVA” platform were totaled, and a helicopter tied down on the quarters building was totaled. The quarters were blackened and the escape capsule was burned. No injuries were reported.  

01-Mar-2001 - Forest Oil Corporation
(also listed as Loss of Well Control)

Remarks: During an attempt to weld the casing head of a slip-on wellhead, gas flow was noticed coming from the +10 valve. Later, unsuccessful attempts were made to stop the flow, which was then coming from the drive pipe/surface casing annular region. The gas flow eventually ignited and caused extensive damage to the platform. The well bridged over and kill operations were completed. There were no injuries and no pollution.

Additional information can be found in the investigation report, MMS 2001-084.

01-Mar-2001 - BP Amoco Corporation

Remarks: The cook had a pot of butter heating on the stovetop. The butter boiled over on top of the stove and created a small flame. The cook turned the stove off and the flame was extinguished immediately. There were no damages.

02-Mar-2001 - Magnum Hunter Production, Inc.

Remarks: The platform operator noticed smoke coming out of the condensate heater-treater stack. They immediately shut in the heater-treater and found a pinhole leak in the firetube. Condensate and some water were flowing into the firetube, causing the smoke.

03-Mar-2001 - Exxon Mobil Corporation

Remarks: The AT-25 gas compressor shut down due to an alarm that was not related to the fire. The operator cleared the control panel and re-started the compressor. He then visually inspected the compressor and detected flames near the wastegate of the compressor’s right turbo charger. He immediately extinguished the fire with a 30-lb. chemical extinguisher. A leak was detected in the ambitrol braided steel line. The ambitrol came in contact with the compressor exhaust.

09-Mar-2001 - BP Amoco Corporation

Remarks: The air conditioning/heating unit in the Schlumberger logging unit ignited and fire dripped onto the floor of the unit. A Schlumberger employee detected the fire and extinguished it with a 30 lb. chemical unit.

12-Mar-2001 - Chevron U.S.A. Inc.

Remarks: An adjacent platform operator observed black smoke coming from the above platform. The operator dispatched representatives to the platform and observed several small fires that originated from excessive oil dripping from the flare boom onto the platform. Life ring, welding insulation, boxes, hoses, etc., were burned. Apparently a TSE shut in the platform.

13-Mar-2001 - BP Exploration Inc.