Emergency Dumping of Large Hydrocarbon Oil Inventories

AEA Technology acting on behalf of HSE commissioned WS Atkins in October 1991 to undertake a feasibility study into Emergency Dumping of Large Oil Inventories on offshore installations.

This study addressed the recommendation number 45i, made by Lord Cullen in the Public Inquiry into the Piper Alpha Disaster.

Recommendation 45i states: to explore the feasibility of dumping in an emergency large oil inventories, such as those in the separators, in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner, so as to minimize the inventory of fuel available to fuel a fire.