Sphera > Case Studies > Anadarko Raises Deepwater Drilling Hazard Assessments to Ensure SEMS Compliance, Enable Sustainable Growth

Anadarko Raises Deepwater Drilling Hazard Assessments to Ensure SEMS Compliance, Enable Sustainable Growth

Customer Company Size

Large Corporate

Region

America

Country

United States

Product

Sphera’s Stature® software

Tech Stack

Web-based software

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Productivity Improvements
Environmental Impact Reduction

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration

Applicable Industries

Oil & Gas

Applicable Functions

Discrete Manufacturing

Use Cases

Process Control & Optimization
Regulatory Compliance Monitoring

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services

About The Customer

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation is among the world’s largest independent oil and natural gas exploration and production companies, with 2.56 billion barrels of oil equivalent in proved reserves at year-end 2012. The company has operations throughout the United States – with onshore assets in the Rocky Mountains region, the southern U.S. and the Appalachian Basin – and is well known for its successful deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico and Internationally. Anadarko is widely recognized for its innovation and commitment to delivering energy resources to the market in a manner that protects the safety of its employees and the communities where it operates. The company’s strong culture of bottom-up employee involvement ensures that Anadarko’s commitment to safety is carried out daily at all levels of the organization, throughout its operations.

The Challenge

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, one of the world's largest independent oil and natural gas exploration and production companies, was faced with the challenge of complying with new U.S. regulatory requirements to support Safety and Environmental Management System (SEMS). The company needed to streamline its drilling permit application process and simplify the management of change. Additionally, Anadarko was faced with the challenge of minimizing operational disruption and delays due to the replacement of experienced staff. The company was deeply affected by the tragic Deepwater Horizon events in 2010, which led to a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling operations across the Gulf of Mexico and the mandatory adoption of SEMS by federal authorities.

The Solution

To ensure compliance with SEMS standards and additional safety measures, Anadarko set out to implement an enterprise-level software solution that would provide the information framework for hazard assessments. The company selected Sphera’s Stature® software, part of the Sphera Operational Risk Solution, due to its capabilities and flexibility. Sphera services experts worked closely with Anadarko stakeholders to fine-tune the software’s hazard template for use in deepwater Drilling and Completion operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The team captured and documented Anadarko’s best practices in a standard template that parallels each phase of an operation. As a result, Anadarko is now successfully using the Sphera system to meet SEMS and AMS requirements, while also gaining a competitive edge that quickly caught the attention of other operators.

Operational Impact

Formalized and standardized proven hazard assessment work processes to ensure full compliance with SEMS regulations
Tailored industry best-practice template for hazard assessments to fit drilling operations
Modified permit application process and supporting steps so they are now routinely completed in 1 day vs. 3 weeks for many competitors
Avoided disruption due to loss of experienced staff and need to train replacements with template that preserves/shares knowledge
Established model process and system for hazard assessment process that is now being considered for adoption enterprise-wide

Quantitative Benefit