On Wednesday at 03:40 damage to a ballast tank on Floatel Superior in the Norwegian Sea was discovered. The personnel on board the rig have been evacuated to adjacent installations.
There are 374 people on board the accommodation rig, which is located right next to the Njord A platform. Personnel have mustered at the lifeboat stations and evacuation by helicopter is taking place.
A hole was discovered in the rig’s ballast tank. Water seepage caused a 3-4 degree tilt that was speedily rectified and rig stability was re-established. The rig was disconnected from the Njord platform when the incident occurred.
Statoil’s emergency response organisation has been mobilised. A personnel reception centre has been set up in Kristiansund. Six helicopters and an emergency response vessel have been deployed in order to assist the rig. In addition, an anchor handling vessel will be dispatched to inspect the damage. The rig will be towed to land in due course.
A planned maintenance shutdown is currently being carried out on Njord A that involves the upgrading of the process plant and other projects. No processing or drilling is therefore taking place there.
Floatel Superior is operated by Floatel International.
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Statoil, November 7, 2012