The CNRL explosion at the Horizon Oil Sand facility in Fort McMurray may turn out to be less damaging than initially feared.
The Company provided an update yesterday on the investigation into the late afternoon explosion that lit up the Fort McMurray sky last week. CNRL is does not know how long the repairs will take, although the damage appears to have been limited to a single coke drum.
What is known is that an explosion occurred at approximately 3:30 pm on January 6, 2011 at the top of coke drum 1 B (1 of 4 coke drums used on the Horizon Oil Sands site are numbered 1 A, 1 B, 2 A and 2 B), an area commonly referred to as the cutting deck.
A total of five workers were injured in the explosion. One CNRL worker remains in the hospital in Edmonton and is in stable condition.
The extend of the damage to the cutting deck and derrick infrastructure of coke drum 1 B from the CNRL explosion will be known later today or tomorrow as a photographic based survey of the cokers is planned.
Regardless of the actual damage, CNRL has already began the procurement process for all necessary replacement components and parts for the cutting deck and derrick infrastructure above coke drums 1 A and 1 B. the goal is to get the Horizon Oil Sands facility running at full capacity and limit stop time.
Initial thoughts from CNRL Executives and officials are that the plant can run at half capacity while the repairs from the CNRL explosion are completed.
Canadian Natural Resources also plans to address maintenance backlog issues and potentially advance future work.
It will be interesting to see if maintenance backlog issues, should any come to light, played in the CNRL explosion. OH&S and Canadian Natural’s Operations Investigation team are determining the cause of the incident and if CNRL missed any safety precautions.
Fortunately for CNRL, the company has a $2 Billion umbrella insurance package for the Horizon facility, which should cover most of the repairs and provides business interruption insurance after 90 days.
The update most likely won’t satisfy the AFL, which demanded answers following the CNRL explosion.
Source: CNRL
The Company provided an update yesterday on the investigation into the late afternoon explosion that lit up the Fort McMurray sky last week. CNRL is does not know how long the repairs will take, although the damage appears to have been limited to a single coke drum.
What is known is that an explosion occurred at approximately 3:30 pm on January 6, 2011 at the top of coke drum 1 B (1 of 4 coke drums used on the Horizon Oil Sands site are numbered 1 A, 1 B, 2 A and 2 B), an area commonly referred to as the cutting deck.
A total of five workers were injured in the explosion. One CNRL worker remains in the hospital in Edmonton and is in stable condition.
The extend of the damage to the cutting deck and derrick infrastructure of coke drum 1 B from the CNRL explosion will be known later today or tomorrow as a photographic based survey of the cokers is planned.
Regardless of the actual damage, CNRL has already began the procurement process for all necessary replacement components and parts for the cutting deck and derrick infrastructure above coke drums 1 A and 1 B. the goal is to get the Horizon Oil Sands facility running at full capacity and limit stop time.
Initial thoughts from CNRL Executives and officials are that the plant can run at half capacity while the repairs from the CNRL explosion are completed.
Canadian Natural Resources also plans to address maintenance backlog issues and potentially advance future work.
It will be interesting to see if maintenance backlog issues, should any come to light, played in the CNRL explosion. OH&S and Canadian Natural’s Operations Investigation team are determining the cause of the incident and if CNRL missed any safety precautions.
Fortunately for CNRL, the company has a $2 Billion umbrella insurance package for the Horizon facility, which should cover most of the repairs and provides business interruption insurance after 90 days.
The update most likely won’t satisfy the AFL, which demanded answers following the CNRL explosion.
Source: CNRL
