Names revealed of oil rig heli crash victims

Seven companies had employees aboard the helicopter which crashed at Turøy, off Bergen, Norway, on Friday.

There were thirteen people in the aircraft, en route from Statoil’s Gullfaks B field to Bergen, and all of them are confirmed dead.

According to a statement by Statoil, the 11 passengers aboard the CHC-owned Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma helicopter, were employed in Halliburton, Aker Solutions, Schlumberger, Welltec, Karsten Moholt and Statoil.

The two pilots were employed by CHC. One of the 13 is a Statoil employee, Statoil said.

Statoil also revealed the names of the pilots and passengers who died in the accident:

Ole Magnar Kvamme (Statoil)

Arild Fossedal (Aker Solutions) 

Odd Geir Turøy (Aker Solutions)

Lyder Martin Telle (Aker Solutions)

Michele Vimercati (CHC)

Olav Bastiansen (CHC)

Iain Stuart (Halliburton)

Behnam Ahmadi (Halliburton)

Otto Mikal Vasstveit (Halliburton)

Tommas Helland (Halliburton)

Kjetil Wathne (Karsten Moholt AS)

Espen Samuelsen (Welltec Norway)

Silje Ye Rim Veivåg Kroghsæter (Schlumberger)

“Today, Statoil is a company in mourning. Yesterday, we were hit by one of the most severe accidents in the history of the Norwegian oil industry. Many families have been hit, and we have lost good colleagues and friends,” Statoil CEO Eldar Sætre, said on Saturday.

The company said it would will continue to support those who need it most, those who are directly affected, families, colleagues onshore and on the platforms.

The Accident Investigation Board in Norway will investigate the accident, and Statoil will contribute to this job, Statoil said.

The Norwegian oil company said it would also start its own investigation in cooperation with the employee representatives and the safety delegates. This investigation will be coordinated with the work of the Accident Investigation Board.

While the investigation is still ongoing, there have been reports that the helicopter’s rotor loosened and detached from the aircraft before the crash.

“Finding an answer to why the helicopter crashed is very important, both to the next of kin and to all who have the Norwegian continental shelf as their work place. The safety of everyone working for Statoil is the most important thing for us,” Sætre said.

The tragedy will be marked across Statoil Monday May 2 at 13:00 CET with a minute’s silence, and flags will be flown at half-mast all day.

Offshore Energy Today Staff