Viking Magazine - February 2011 - 23

hen BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig
exploded on April 20, 2010, killing 11 men
and causing 4.9 million barrels of oil to gush
into the Gulf of Mexico, the world's petroleum
industry rushed to help. Norway was one of
the countries that responded to the crisis.
Given Norway's more than 40 years of
offshore drilling experience, the U.S. sought its
help for what would eventually be the world's
largest accidental marine oil spill.
" Very early on, we received a request from
the U.S. State Department on what kind of
equipment Norway could contribute, " says
Espen Myhra, energy counselor for the Royal
Norwegian Embassy.
The Norwegian government worked with
companies to ensure as much of the response
equipment as possible was sent, including Norwegian
vessels, booms, skimming technology
and response vehicles. Norwegian experts also
responded offering to aid in the cleanup.
" We've been involved from the very beginning, "
says John Hurter, U.S. manager of INTSOK
Norwegian Oil and Gas Partners, a Norwegian
foundation supporting the country's oil
and gas industry internationally. " Nothing of
this magnitude has ever been done before. It
took everybody coming together in the entire
industry. It's been really inspiring to see all the
excellent work that these people have been doing,
but it's not over yet. "
As the focus on the spill shifts from cleanup to
the cause, the question must be asked: Could it
happen in Norway?
Norwegians will be the fi rst to acknowledge
that an oil spill like the Deepwater Horizon
accident could happen in the North Sea,
says Hurter.
Myhra agrees. Although the details of why
the accident occurred aren't yet completely clear,
it still could happen in the North Sea, or anywhere
where there is offshore drilling, he says.
" This is a business activity with a risk and
there is always a risk for an accident, " Myhra
says. " It's a dangerous situation if you think an
accident couldn't happen in Norway. Authorities
can't be too relaxed. "
However, it is the role of the authorities
to minimize the risk of accidents. In Myhra's
opinion, Norway is doing a very good job
in this regard.
Norway has already experienced an oil spill
in the North Sea, although it was nothing close
to the magnitude of the recent Gulf spill. In
April 1977, there was an uncontrolled blowout
on the Norwegian continental shelf at the
Ekofi sk Bravo platform in the Ekofi sk oil fi eld.
Approximately 200,000 barrels of oil spilled
into the North Sea before the spill was stopped
after seven days.
In March 1980, another accident occurred
when the Alexander L. Kielland semi-submersible
drilling rig capsized in the Ekofi sk oil fi eld,
killing 123 people. The event was the worst
disaster in Norwegian waters since World War
II. Both accidents brought about change in
safety regulations in Norway.
" Before, there were a lot of different
organizations in charge of safety offshore, "
Myhra says. After the accidents, safety regulations
in Norway became less centralized and
prescriptive, and forced oil companies to be
more involved, using a risk/performance-based
system, Myhra adds.
According to a report released in August
by the Norwegian risk management company
Det Norske Veritas (DNV), one of the main
differences between the oil drilling regulations
in the U.S. and those in Norway is this risk/
performance-based system.
" In Norway we don't want it to be the
regulators that are in charge of the technology
and the new standards, " Myhra says. It is the
oil industry itself that is charged with that challenge.
There is a continuous improvement as
far as safety levels are concerned, he adds.
In 2004, the Norwegian government created
the Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA),
which serves as the independent government
regulator for the Norwegian oil industry. The
PSA oversees safety requirements, emergency
preparedness and the working environment in
offshore drilling.
" Safety is not something you reach a level
on and you are satisfi ed, " Myhra says. " You
always have to have a dynamic process to
make it even better. "
In the U.S., regulations are dominantly prescriptive
and not based on risk management,
according to DNV's report.
Norway requires two independent and
tested well barriers in all operations, while
the U.S. does not. Well barriers are extra
protection designed to prevent the uninten
Viking Magazine - February 2011

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