Australia’s offshore regulator, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA), has released a fact sheet outlining the roles and responsibilities of the country’s various regulatory agencies and clarifying the distinctions between their functions.
The document — entitled ‘Safety on offshore vessels and structures: Who is the regulator?’ — also references offshore decommissioning activities.
In Commonwealth waters – generally beyond the three nautical mile coastal waters boundary – safety requirements for offshore vessels and structures are usually overseen by either NOPSEMA or the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).
State and territory regulators are generally responsible for activities in coastal waters.
NOPSEMA regulates health and safety, well integrity, and environmental management, for petroleum and greenhouse gas storage activities in Commonwealth waters.
It also regulates these things in coastal waters where a state or territory has conferred regulatory powers— this currently includes Victoria’s coastal waters.
Crucially, NOPSEMA’s regulation of safety focuses on ‘facilities’.
It defines a facility as “any vessel or structure whether floating or fixed, and regardless of its ability to navigate independently – that is being used, or is being prepared for use, for the recovery, processing, storage or offloading of petroleum.”
This includes vessels engaged in drilling, well servicing, pipeline construction, erection, dismantling or decommissioning, or other petroleum-related activities in regulated waters, as well as accommodation for people working on another facility.
AMSA broadly regulates vessel and seafarer safety, and protection of the environment from vessel-sourced pollution.In the document, a number of case studies are presented to help workers identify the appropriate safety regulator.
In one example, a supply vessel leaves Dampier Port, on the northwest coast of Western Australia in the Pilbara Region, to bring divers and equipment to support decommissioning work on a fixed platform in Commonwealth waters.
The vessel is regulated by AMSA while it is enroute to the title area.
However, NOPSEMA becomes the regulator for the vessel when it arrives at the title area and starts preparations for diving work associated with the facility.
“Supply vessels performing other work, and tugs and anchor handlers, are generally not facilities, unless they are being used, or being prepared for use, for the recovery, processing, storage or offloading of petroleum,” the document notes.
NOPSEMA says the document, including the fact sheet and case studies, is for illustrative and general guidance only to help workers understand typical regulatory boundaries.
