Friday 21 May 1999

DNV to Manage Oil Industry Drill Cuttings Initiative

The UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) Drill Cuttings Task Force has selected Det Norske Veritas (DNV) to form a dedicated project management team to carry its initiative forward through the next stages.

A core team of four, headed by Angus Lyon, Operations Manager at the DNV Technical Consultancy in Aberdeen, will be responsible for managing and co-ordinating the research and development programme which aims to identify potential solutions for dealing with drill cuttings that have accumulated beneath installations in the 30 years of North Sea activity.

The UKOOA Drill Cuttings initiative was launched in June 1998 and takes a twin-track approach combining research and development with extensive public consultation and co-operation between industry organisations such as E&P Forum and the Norwegian oil association OLF.

Its goal is to identify the best environmental practice and the best techniques available for dealing with cuttings accumulations, in accordance with the principles set out by the OSPAR Convention.

We are delighted to have been selected to carry out this work on behalf of the UKOOA Drill Cuttings Task Force, said Angus Lyon. One of the fundamental principles underlying this initiative is transparency. I believe DNVs appointment, as an independent, autonomous foundation with a long track record in providing safety, quality and environmental services to the worlds offshore industries, will assist in that process.

With DNVs appointment, the Drill Cuttings initiative moves into a new phase, said Eric Faulds of the UKOOA Drill Cuttings Task Force. Consultation has already taken place with key stakeholders, an R&D programme has been drawn up and workshops held for contractors and research institutions. Funding is now being assembled to take this work forward and it is hoped that the first R&D contracts will be awarded in the summer.

An independently chaired Scientific Review Group is also being established to review progress on a regular basis.

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