Two Gas Leaks at Statoil's Oseberg Field

Statoil has said today that a power outage at the Oseberg field in Norway caused two gas leaks yesterday. The leaks have since ceased.

In a statement on its website, Statoil said that well operations were underway yesterday afternoon on Oseberg B when a power outage hit. The outage caused a leak from the well where operations were underway. The company closed the entire facility following the leak and evacuated staff onto lifeboat stations. An onshore emergency response unit was also alerted and mobilised.

Statoil said power was restored at 18:30 (17:30 GMT), but a gas detector alarm sounded again after midnight (11 p.m. GMT). However, after depressurisation of the facility and a second evacuation to lifeboats, the gas detectors showed that levels had returned to normal. The situation was resolved without the need to mobilise the emergency response organisation again, the company said.

Another power outage was noted after that time, during which time emergency procedures were enacted, including turning off the heat system to ensure the safety of the personnel. Gas and oil production remained shut down this evening.

At present, 700 staff are on a nearby flotel. Some of these, including maintenance, modification and project tasks employees, will be airlifted back to land to enable the Oseberg A team to work bring the field back onstream.