An overboard incident on the Scarabeo 8 semisubmersible drilling unit offshore unit was caused by missing grating on the blowout preventer (BOP) carrier platform grating, a report by Norway's Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) says.
The man fell overboard from the mobile drilling unit at about 4am on 20 February this year. The incident occurred when subsea personnel were preparing to bring the BOP back into service after about four weeks of maintenance.
Two subsea engineers were working in the moonpool area at the time of the incident. They entered the BOP carrier used to move the unit between the well centre and the parked position.
One of the subsea engineers descended the ladder which leads to a small access platform on the carrier. As he stepped off the ladder onto the grating below, he fell through a gap directly into the sea 13.5m below. The other subsea engineer observed the fall and managed to throw out a lifebuoy.
The man-overboard alarm was sounded via Scarabeo 8’s control room to the Esvagt Aurora standby ship. Personnel on the latter mobilized its man overboard boat boat and picked up the person from the water. He was flown by helicopter from the standby ship to hospital for a check and treatment. No serious injuries were found.
The PSA says the direct cause of the incident was the missing grating on the BOP carrier platform, probably lost as a result of high seas ahead of the incident.
The PSA said: "Under slightly different circumstances, the senior subsea engineer could have suffered serious injuries or being killed."
It identified four nonconformities to regulations, relating to maintenance of gratings, barrier management, maintenance management and expertise and training.
The Scarabeo 8 is operated by Saipem Norwegian Branch. The PSA has now asked the company to account for how the nonconformities will be dealt with.
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