Statoil Evacuates Staff After Visund Gas Leak off Norway
Statoil ASA (STL), Norway’s biggest oil and gas producer, evacuated all non-essential staff from its Visund platform today after a report of a gas leak.
“Somebody observed gas on the water’s surface about 180 meters from the platform,” company spokesman Lars Dahle said in a phone interview. “That is what caused the alarm and the mobilization of emergency services.”
About half of the 120 staff on the platform were taken off by helicopter as part of a safety protocol. No injuries or platform damage was reported, Dahle said. Statoil suspended production at Visund yesterday after damage to flexible risers was detected at the Njord field.
“The gas leak that was reported at the Visund platform this morning was confirmed stopped just before 1 p.m.,” Statoil said in a later statement. “Evacuated personnel will be returned to the platform.”
Visund, a floating production, drilling and living quarters in the Norwegian North Sea, began producing gas and exporting it to continental Europe in 2005. Statoil is the operator with a 53 percent stake, while Petoro AS has 30 percent, ConocoPhillips Skandinavia holds 9 percent and Total E&P Norge has almost 8 percent, according to Statoil’s website.
To contact the reporter on this story: Adam Ewing in Stockholm at aewing5@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Frank Connelly at fconnelly@bloomberg.net
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