Gas outburst being suppressed at Azerbaijani offshore platform

By Azernews

By Rashid Shirinov

Gas outburst occured at the Gunashli-19 platform of Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR, the company said on September 26.

“Measures were taken in accordance with safety procedures,” SOCAR said. “Security of 49 employees of the platform was ensured.”

No casualties were reported.

The gas outburst occurred as a result of repair work in the well N71. The employees of the Militarized Control of SOCAR held events to eliminate the resulting fountain.

There are also nine fire-fighting and provision vessels of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company and vessels Vortex-5 and Vortex-7 from the Service of fire safety of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES).

After receiving information about the incident, the crisis group of Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company gathered, and it is operating now.

Work is being held jointly with the operational headquarters of SOCAR. The pressure in the well falls, and it is expected that the consequences of the release would be eliminated in the near future.

“Work to prevent gas emission is under way," MES said.

An investigation in connection with the incident is ongoing.

Gunashli field is one of the oldest offshore fields in Azerbaijan, and one of the largest where SOCAR produces oil and gas without participation of foreign companies. The field consists of a shallow part, where SOCAR works independently, and the deep-water part, which is part of the block Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli field, developed by a consortium led by BP.