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North Sea workers airlifted as barge drifts near Valhall field North Sea storms: 'Disastrous' barge collision averted
(about 5 hours later)
More than 300 oil workers are being airlifted from the Norwegian sector of the North Sea after a large, unmanned barge ran adrift in high seas. A potential major disaster in the North Sea has been narrowly averted after a large, unmanned barge ran adrift in stormy high seas and came close to colliding with offshore oil platforms.
Several rigs were affected in the Valhall and Ekofisk oil fields. The Eide Barge 33 missed the Valhall field by at least 1km (0.6 miles).
The barge broke anchor during a storm. A man died when a huge wave hit another rig earlier in the Troll field off Norway. More than 300 oil workers were airlifted from the Norwegian sector of the North Sea after the high winds broke the barge's anchor.
BP said it was moving all its workers off the eight-rig Valhall platform as the barge was heading towards it. Stormy weather in the area has seen waves topping 15m (50ft).
The barge is 110m in length and 30m wide and there are fears that it could ram one of the rigs. A man died when a huge wave hit another rig earlier in the Troll field off Norway.
Norwegian media said the Eide Barge 33 had run adrift on Wednesday evening and was some 25km (15 miles) from Valhall. Forced shut down
Helicopters began airlifting staff from Valhall at 02:45 on Thursday, broadcaster NRK said. The strong winds tore the barge from its moorings and sent it towards BP's Valhall platform, located in the middle of the North Sea between Norway and the UK.
BP said it was airlifting all 235 staff from the platform. Production, which had been at 50,000 barrels a day, was being shut down, the company said. The oil and gas company was forced to shut down output and evacuate staff on board. ConocoPhillips also stopped production and evacuated crew from installations in the same area.
ConocoPhilips also airlifted 145 workers from its Ekofisk oil field north of Valhall. Some were flown to other platforms in the area but the majority were taken ashore, according to reports. A spokeswoman for the Rescue Coordination Centre for southern Norway told the Reuters news agency that the danger posed by the barge was now over.
'Heavy wave' "There are no other installations between the barge and the coast of Norway," Borghild Eldoen said.
Hours before the barge began drifting on Wednesday, a wave hit the accommodation block on the China Oilfield Services' Innovator rig in the Troll oil field off the Norwegian coast at around 17:00 (16:00GMT). "It is now up to the owners of the barge to stop it before it reaches the coast."
The coast guard told the BBC that the wave must have been up to 60ft (18m) in height. At one point fears about a collision increased when the barge - 110m in length and 30m wide - changed course and headed straight for Valhall, BP Norway spokesman Jan Erik Geirmo told the AFP news agency.
Three people with injuries were airlifted ashore by Norwegian rescuers, but one later died. He was said to be a Norwegian in his fifties. But in the event it floated away from the evacuated platforms.
Almost 50 of the rig's 106 staff were airlifted to safety. Mr Geirmo said that a tug had been deployed to immobilise it - an operation which will be dangerous in such stormy conditions. He said the situation was now returning to normal and employees will progressively return to the platforms.
In a statement, Statoil said a "heavy wave" had slammed into the installation. The rig was being towed to Bergen under its own steam. Norwegian media said the barge ran adrift on Wednesday evening some 25km (15 miles) from Valhall.