Norwegian safety watchdog to probe Scarabeo 5 rig fire

Norwegian offshore safety watchdog the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) has launched an investigation into a fire which broke out in an engine room on the Scarabeo 5 drilling rig on November 22, 2016.

The rig is working on the Statoil-operated Njord field in the Norwegian Sea. There were 106 persons on board when the fire broke out on Tuesday evening but no drilling operations were underway.

The agency said that a team from the PSA will travel out to the rig on Thursday, November 24. It will also assist the police inquiry into the same incident.

The goals of the PSA investigation include clarifying the course of events and identifying the direct and underlying causes in order to contribute to lessons learnt and experience transfer.

Scarabeo 5 is a semi-submersible drilling rig of the ME 4500 type built by Fincantieri in Genoa in 1990 and operated by Saipem’s Norwegian branch.

Saipem told Offshore Energy Today on Wednesday the company was looking into the cause of the engine room fire while the safety agency was at the time unsure if it was going to investigate the fire.

Offshore Energy Today Staff