Union identifies offshore worker killed by giant wave in North Sea

Offshore Energy Today reported last week that an offshore worker had died after a heavy wave hit the COSL Innovator drilling rig offshore Norway. The worker has now been identified by his union, Industri Energi. 

Rune Morten Narvåg, aged 53, was killed by a giant wave that hit the rig operating for Statoil in the North Sea, offshore Norway. He was a team leader for subsea operations for a Norwegian company Aker Solutions. He had been working for the oil services company for the past 37 years.

According to the union, Narvåg was in his cabin when the wave hit the rig and smashed the walls of the living quarters. Two other offshore workers were injured in the incident.

The rig’s owner COSL Drilling Europe and the Norwegian offshore safety watchdog, the Petroleum Safety Authority, have both launched its investigations of the incident. According to the owner of the rig, the extent of damage to the rig’s living quarters is still unknown and the technical team will investigate it further before repair works begin.

COSL Innovator is under contract to Statoil at the Troll field in the North Sea, west of Bergen. The rig had been taken off the well as a result of the bad weather before the incident occurred.