The Prime Minister on January 20 issued Decision No. 04/2015/QD-TTg to issue the regulation on safety control in petroleum activities.
The new regulation will apply to oil and gas prospecting, exploration, field development, exploitation, storage and transportation; oil refinery, oil and gas processing, oil and gas product distribution, and provision of technical services related to these activities, which are peformed within the territory and continental shelf of Vietnam.
Before starting the operation of oil and gas works, processes necessary for safe operation and maintenance must be prepared and disseminated among workers and always available at the works.
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| Workers on the drilling rig at Bach Ho oil field__Photo: Huy Hung/VNA |
Before or in the course of operation, organizations and individuals will have to inspect, examine and test equipment, machines and works under regulations.
Rescue and salvation equipment must be inspected and tested carefully to be ready for emergencies.
Responsible organizations and individuals must also promptly repair and replace broken equipment at works to ensure safety for people, the environment and the works themselves, and immediately stop their activities which might be dangerous to people, the environment and works.
Safety zones around works must be established and protected by necessary measures.
The all-direction distance of safety zones from offshore drilling or exploitation works will be 500 meters, measured from the outermost point of fixed works and position of anchors of mobile works.
For inland works, including gas processing plants, oil refineries, petro-chemical factories, depots, pipelines and their accompanied structures, the scope of safety zones and safety corridors comply with current regulations.
Within two nautical miles from the outermost points of marine projects and from two sides of pipelines, no vehicles and vessels are allowed to anchor.
This new regulation took effect on the date of its signing and replaces Decision No. 41/1999/QD-TTg of March 8, 1999.-
