The Minister for Communications, Marine & Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey T.D., today announced that he has appointed Advantica to conduct the Independent Safety Review of the Corrib Upstream Onshore Pipeline in Mayo.
Following the Minister’s initial announcement of the Independent Safety Review in July, potential bidders were invited to submit proposals to the Department by midday, Friday 29th July 2005. A total of eight companies submitted tenders to the Department by the deadline. These are:
- Byrne O’Cleirigh
- WS Atkins
- Fingleton White & Associates / Entec
- Advanced Engineering Solutions Ltd
- Accufacts Inc
- QED International
- Maritime Management
- Advantica
The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) then began an exhaustive evaluation of these tenders. Following this process the TAG made their recommendation to the Minister, which he approved this morning.
“The purpose of this review is to meet the concerns and fears expressed by local residents in relation to the safety of the onshore pipeline. I am satisfied that the company identified by the TAG, Advantica, have the requisite knowledge and experience to conduct this review to the highest possible standards and I will ensure that a communication mechanism is put in place between the local residents and the consultants,” said Minister Dempsey.
The Terms of Reference for the Safety Review that Advantica will be conducting are as follows:
“The new Safety Review will be a comprehensive health and safety review and will:
- Identify all relevant documentation relating to the design, construction and operation of the onshore, upstream section of the Corrib gas pipeline and associated facilities.
- Critically examine all such documentation.
- Conclude whether or not, in the professional opinion of the consultant, the proposed installations:
- have been or will be designed, constructed, installed and operated to appropriate standards, codes of practice, regulations and operating procedures,
- comply with recognised international best practice,
- will deliver a facility fit for its purpose.
- Identify any deficiencies in any respect relating to the above.
- Make recommendations regarding such deficiencies.”
The TAG noted in their submission to the Minister that they had a very high degree of confidence in their selection and that their final decision was based on a number of factors. These factors included the strength and experience of the project team identified by Advantica, the methodology set out in the tender documents and interview with the company and the understanding that Advantica demonstrated of the nature and scope of the assignment.
In common with several of the other companies applying for the contract, Advantica has previously worked for Shell. This work involved hazard and risk assessment, arising from the Piper Alpha incident. The work on this project was supported by a number of companies, including Shell. In addition, a particular software analysis tool was developed with support from the industry, including Shell.
This was fully disclosed to the selection panel, was considered by the panel and deemed not to constitute a conflict of interest. Advantica is not currently seeking work from Shell, and is in competition with Shell’s own consultancy subsidiary for much of its business. The company has not done any work on the Corrib project to date.
“Recommendations arising out of this Safety Review will be taken into account in future consents for the project. I am confident that work can begin as soon as possible on the review and due to the urgency of the situation I have asked the firm to report to me within 4-6 weeks,” concluded Minister Dempsey.
Note to Editors:
Advantica is a wholly-owned but independent consultancy subsidiary of National Grid Transco, UK with more than 600 professional staff, of whom 80 work in hazard and risk assessment and pipeline integrity assessment techniques in the area.
Advantica is a world leader in the development and application of advanced hazard and risk assessment technologies for gas pipelines and above-ground pressure systems; this is supported by extensive data from large and full-scale experimental studies at their own test site
The company has a vast portfolio of project experience in risk assessment for pipeline design, pipeline route assessment, safety case preparation, pipeline rupture investigation, pipeline design codes and standards. Specifically, Advantica has experience of high-pressure pipelines running through a populated area.
The company has developed special purpose software to quantify risks for comparison with risk criteria and to assess the benefit of various risk reduction strategies.
More information is available on the company is available on their website at: http://www.advantica.biz/
Key Players on Advantica’s team:
Dr Mike Acton, BSc, DPhil, CPhys, MInstP
Principal Consultant, Hazard and Risk Management
Dr Acton has worked for 17 years on safety and environmental issues in the oil and gas industry. He has worked on a broad range of safety and environmental projects, mainly for Transco, but also for other gas companies collaborating on a range of pipeline safety issues. Projects include the development of risk assessment techniques for pipelines and associated facilities and studies to support safe working practices and procedures. Dr Acton has been involved in many large-scale experiments to study fire and explosion behaviour (including full-scale experiments to study transmission pipeline ruptures) and is an experienced investigator of gas-related fire and explosion incidents. He is the Chairman of the PIPESAFE group, an international collaboration of gas companies developing a risk assessment package for gas transmission pipelines.
Dr Bob Andrews, BEng, PhD
Principal Consultant, Structural Integrity
Dr Andrews has been with Advantica for 10 years and before that was with The Welding Institute for 10 years. He has broad experience of structural integrity issues in components and structures, particularly pipelines, pressure systems and offshore structures. He is experienced in non-linear finite element analysis, particularly of cracked bodies, fatigue, fracture mechanics and “fitness-for-purpose” assessments, and a specialist in pipeline integrity and fracture control. He was a member of the Institution of Gas Engineers panel that produced the fourth edition of TD/1, the UK code for high pressure pipelines, and the BSI committee responsible for BS7910, the UK codes for fitness for service assessment of defects in metallic structures. He has been a member of various European pipeline research groups and technical committees in the areas of weld integrity and materials. He is a regular contributor to international conferences and is an editor of the international journal “Fatigue and Fracture of Engineering Materials and Structures.”
ENDS