Kolskaya (jack-up rig) explained
Kolskaya was a
jack-up rig operating in the
Russian Far East. It was built by
Rauma-Repola in
Pori,
Finland in 1985 and was owned by the Russian company
ArktikmorNeftegazRazvedka (AMNGR), a subsidiary of
Zarubezhneft.
[1] Kolskaya was an independent leg cantilever type jack-up rig.[2] It was long and wide, and could accommodate up to 102 people.[3] Its rated water depth for operations was . Its drilling depth was .[2]
Capsize and sinking
On December 18, 2011, the rig, which was under tow during a fierce storm, capsized and sank in the Sea of Okhotsk. It was being towed by the icebreaker Magadan and the tugboat Neftegaz-55 having just completed an exploration well for Gazprom off the Kamchatka Peninsula. The incident happened some off the coast of Sakhalin island, in waters more than deep.[4] In terms of operational safety, the towing operation's compliance with best practices was doubtful since the platform’s manufacturer explicitly stated that "towing is prohibited in the winter, in winter seasonal zones."[5]
A search and rescue effort began as soon as the rig sank and was halted five days later on December 22. Of the 67 people known to have been aboard Kolskaya, 14 had been rescued and 36 more were listed as missing. Only 17 bodies had been recovered.[6] With 53 declared missing or dead, it was the largest number of casualties in an accident the Russian oil sector has ever experienced.[7]
Notes and References
- Web site: ru:СПБУ Кольская . http://www.amngr.ru/index.php/ru/services/fleet/kolskaya
. ArktikmorNeftegazRazvedka . Jack-up rig Kolskaya . Russian . 2011-12-18.
- Web site: Rigzone . Rig Data: Kolskaya . 2011-12-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120103132847/http://www.rigzone.com/data/rig_detail.asp?rig_id=521 . 2012-01-03 . dead .
- News: . Two killed, 14 rescued after drilling rig overturns in Sea of Okhotsk . 2011-12-18 . 2011-12-23.
- News: . . Russian industry rocked by Kolskaya rig tragedy . Vladimir . Afanasiev . 2011-12-23 . 2021-06-06 . subscription .
- http://www.kolskaya.com/Documents_/towing_limitations.html Document from the platform’s manufacturer "Rauma Repola" explicitly stated that "towing is prohibited in the winter, in winter seasonal zones.
- News: . Rescuers call off Russian Far East oil rig search . 2011-12-22 . 2011-12-23.
- News: Safety4Sea . Largest accident in Russian oil sector . Trude . Pettersen . 2011-12-27 . 2021-06-06.
