Drilling advances

	Vol. 226 No. 11
LES SKINNER, PE CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Terrorism and the drilling rig. The very word elicits horrifying visions of Iraqi children lying dead in the street, blood on Tel Aviv streets, burning vehicles, death and destruction – all done to strengthen the political advantage of one group over another. Terrorism has been around for centuries. Its aim has always been to control large populations through fear.

Some terrorists have endeavored to destroy whole societies. Others have tried to cripple another country’s economy. In 1990, Sadaam Hussein ordered over 700 wells ignited in an attempt to bankrupt Kuwait. It didn’t work. It won’t ever work long-term.

That’s the common thread: terrorism always fails. No civilized society will tolerate terrorists for long. The recent rash of terrorism by Islamic fundamentalists will also fail. As always, the members of the terrorists’ home culture will ultimately put it down. It is incumbent on the Muslim community to do the job this time. Nobody else has the influence, culturally, politically or economically, to pull it off.

So what does all this have to do with the drilling rig? The drilling industry has not been the target of terrorists . . . yet. Well, there have been a few takeovers of drilling rigs offshore Nigeria, but those hijackings were for economics, i.e. ransom, not for political reasons. One almost hesitates to write about terrorism and drilling to avoid giving the bad guys ideas about blowing up a rig. Recall, however, that these people were clever enough to use airliners as weapons on September 11, 2001. Were it not for their sinister motives and methods, one could almost admire their inventiveness. So, writing about terrorism probably won’t give the terrorists any new ideas.

Why has the drilling industry not been a target? We could all speculate, but several facts are clear. First, rigs are highly mobile. It takes time and a semi-fixed target to plan a terrorist operation.

Second, it’s difficult to approach a rig unseen, whether onshore or offshore. Terrorists like to surprise their target. Most rigs work in remote areas where access to the rig is over long lease roads or open water. Sneaking up on a drilling rig undetected is a difficult task. Drillers, particularly derrickmen, are vigilant. Any suspicious vehicle, boat or individual coming toward a rig will be noticed early. Terrorists often pose as part of the general population and mix with crowds before setting off their bombs. It’s hard to do that with a closely knit drilling crew.

Third, it’s tough to hurt a rig. A terrorist can blow up personnel, but can they really destroy a rig short of using a large mobile bomb, like the one that damaged the USS Cole? Even that seaborne suicide attack didn’t sink the ship. Drillships and semis have overlapping, redundant systems for flotation, even during a violent well control event. The legs on jackups are pretty tough, too. The bad guys would probably have to use a large ship to ram and sink a floater, or topple a jackup. Even then, what do they accomplish?

Many people believe that all offshore rigs are seascape blights; likewise, onshore rigs are a nuisance. They don’t recognize the contribution that the rig and its task make to the world’s economy.

Sadly, these folks would be delighted if all rigs were sunk or blown to pieces. How, then, can the terrorist get any political mileage out of ridding the world of a drilling rig? What is the incentive?

Perhaps that’s the answer to the drilling industry’s immunity from terrorism so far – there’s just not enough political reward to justify the effort, the expense and the loss of a “martyr.” It is better in their view to blow up a few dozen innocent children in Iraq to demonstrate their hatred and make headlines.

If rigs do become targets of future terrorist attacks, what protection do we have on the rig? One seldom sees an armed drillship with 5-in. cannons amidship and quad-50s (a large gun) on the bow. Most rigs are defenseless. Carrying arms aboard a vessel or onto a mineral lease usually results in expulsion or jail time. There are far too many rigs to have armed guards on each one.

Like most other targets, there really is no terrorism protection for a rig. Mitigation in the event of an attack is possible, however. Identifying vulnerabilities, maintaining vigilance, and knowing what to do in the event of an attack are key components of a terrorism contingency plan.

Experts in terrorism mitigation have a great way of preparing a plan to thwart attacks. They ask that the rig crews and supervisors play the role of terrorists to identify points of vulnerability. The crews are the ones who know where to place charges to cause the most damage. They are also the ones who can identify how a bomber could kill the most people. Their shared ideas then become the basis for the contingency plan:

• What to watch for
• How to minimize damage
• How to save lives
• How to evacuate safely
• Whom to summon for help.

This plan should be incorporated into the rig’s overall contingency planning effort. Like a spill plan, a well control plan or any other emergency plan, the terrorism contingency plan must be taught, learned and practiced for it to be effective.

Protecting oneself against a terrorist attack may seem like an impossible task. The best strategy, according to the experts, is rapid evacuation. Limiting the number of people available at a particular site limits the effectiveness of the attack. Organized speedy evacuation – not headlong flight – and regrouping in a safe area is the cornerstone of most well control, fire and hazardous release plans and other similar emergency response plans we use everyday in the oilpatch. That part of a terrorism contingency plan should be fairly easy to develop.

Anything we can do to thwart an attack is good. The one thing terrorists fear is failure. That’s why they hate the police and military. Cops and soldiers limit the damage and mayhem a terrorist can create

One thing’s for sure: reasoning with a terrorist is fruitless. They are fanatics, and by definition they are unreasonable. They see their victims only as targets, not as people with families, homes, careers, futures, plans – merely a chunk of meat with a bullseye painted on it.

We may not be targets now, but we don’t have to become willing targets in the future. Stay alert out there. Keep your heads down. 

Les Skinner, a Houston-based consultant, is a chemical engineering graduate from Texas Tech University, and has 32 years of experience in drilling and well control with major and independent operators and well-control companies.