On Thursday, October 8, at 8.30 a.m. there was a report that oil had been observed in the sea close to the OLS B loading buoy at the Statfjord field, in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.
According to Statoil, the operator of the field, the oil spill was discovered during the loading of oil from the Statfjord A platform to the tanker “Hilda Knutsen” via the OLS B loading buoy, which is located between Statfjord A and Statfjord B.
Loading to the tanker has stopped and supply to the pipe and loading system from Statfjord A has been closed, the company has reported.
Statoil added that production at Statfjord A was operating normally.
The leak is located in a flange in the loading hose, but it is too early to say how much oil has leaked, Statoil explained.
The stand-by vessel with oil spill response equipment and the anchor handling vessel, equipped with a ROV, are at the location. A SAR helicopter is also assisting with monitoring the spill. Furthermore, relevant authorities have been notified.
The Norwegian share of the Statfjord field lies in blocks 33/9 and 33/12 in production licence 037, while the British part is in UK block 211/25 in licences 104 and 293.
Update: October 8, 3.15 p.m.
Statoil has said that preliminary assessments indicate that the spill is within the range of 40 cubic metres of oil. Further assessment and investigations will uncover the scope and causes in more detail.
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