Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD) Enhances Safety with New Standards for Petroleum Transport and Storage
Oil and Gas Companies engaged in transport and storage of petroleum bear primary responsibility for their operations and are required to adhere to all standards in this regard. Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD), a technical directorate under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, has been entrusted with the responsibility of formulating standards, overseeing its implementation through safety audits in petroleum industry with the aim to enhancing safety levels and reducing risks inherent with this industry.
OISD has informed that, inter alia, the following safety measures have been prescribed for petroleum industry to enhance the safety and efficiency of petroleum transport and storage:
Transportation by Road:
- Vehicle tracking is implemented, violations are monitored and actions being taken.
- Restriction on Night driving.
- Defensive driving and simulator-based training is being provided to the Tank
Truck (TT) crew.
Transportation by pipeline:
- Monitoring of corrosion through intelligent pigging, cathodic protection etc.
- Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for on-line
monitoring.
- Application software-based Leak Detection System (LDS) in liquid pipelines.
- Pipeline Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) for pilferage control.
- Pipelines mapping through Geographical Information System (GIS)
For storage tanks:
- Safety measures like pressure limiting device, Terminal Automation System
(TAS), advanced fire fighting system and Remote Operated Shut-off Valve
(ROSOVs).
- Hydrocarbon Detectors and Gas Monitoring Systems at all potential leakage points
to ensure early detection and provide timely warnings.