Platform supply vessel crashes into Equinor’s Statfjord A platform

June 7, 2019, by Offshore Energy Today

The platform supply vessel Sjøborg crashed into Equinor-operated Statfjord A platform on Friday, June 7, at 01:55 Norwegian time.

Equinor said on Friday that the incident happened in connection with loading operations. The platform is in a scheduled production stop, so there was no production at the time when the incident happened.

“Equinor’s emergency response organization has been gathered and is assisting in the situation. There were 276 people on board Statfjord A when the incident occurred. There are no injuries on board the platform,” Equinor said.

The total extent of damage on the platform is now being investigated. PSV Sjøborg is on its way to land on its own power. There are 12 people on board the vessel, Equinor added.

Equinor has said that the lifeboat station has been damaged. The company has moved personnel to nearby offshore installation while it assesses the extent of the damage.

“Two searches and rescue helicopters (SAR) and a helicopter from the rescue coordination center have flown personnel from Statfjord A to Statfjord B and C, and Gullfaks A. The area standby vessel Stril Herkules is at the field and is assisting in the work to clarify the extent of the damage,” Equinor said on Friday morning.

The Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority is also investigating the incident. According to the PSA’s statement on Friday, one of the lifeboats and a lifeboat station on the facility were damaged.

“The PSA takes a serious view of this incident and has decided to launch an investigation. A team of its specialists is now engaged in this work. The main objective of the investigation is to identify the causes of the incident and possible lessons to be learnt, and to share this information with the industry,” the PSA said.

This is a second incident aboard the Statfjord A in less than a month. Equinor on May 15 said that oil had spilled during a loading operation at the platform and that the company had shut down loading operations. Loading operations resumed a few days later.

Worth reminding, Equinor in May awarded a contract for the removal and disposal of Statfjord A, one of the oldest platforms on the Norwegian continental shelf.

The Statfjord A platform will shut down production in 2022, 43 years after first oil. The platform was originally scheduled to be shut down in 1999 but it has since then undergone substantial upgrading and its life has been extended several times.

The contract for the engineering work, preparations, removal, and disposal of the topside was awarded to Excalibur Marine Contractors, a company in the Allseas group. Kværner at Stord was hired by Excalibur to dismantle and recycle the topside onshore.

Offshore Energy Today Staff

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