Probe launched after gangway incident in North Sea

Norwegian offshore safety watchdog has launched an investigation into an incident on February 29, 2020, where the gangway on the Floatel Endurance became disconnected.

Floatel Endurance; Source: Flickr; Author: kees torn – under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license (the image has been cropped)

The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) said on Wednesday that the accommodation rig was connected to the Martin Linge platform located in the North Sea when the accident occurred.

According to the regulator, no personal injuries were suffered and the cause of the incident is so far unknown.

“The PSA takes a serious view of what happened. An investigation team drawn from its specialist staff is now starting work,” the safety authority stated.

Scrutiny will be directed both at Floatel International, which operates Floatel Endurance, and at Equinor as operator of the Martin Linge field. The latter has consent to use Floatel Endurance for offshore accommodation.

In connection with its investigation, the PSA said it would carefully review and clarify the course of events, uncover and  describe actual and potential consequences of the incident, identify its direct and underlying causes, clarify responsibilities, use the necessary enforcement powers to correct possible regulatory breaches, present the results of the investigation to the public, and contribute to experience transfer to and learning by other petroleum industry players.


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