Equinor plans to establish and operate new areawide emergency preparedness for the southwestern Barents Sea. The plan calls for new resources, expertise, and capabilities to strengthen safety and emergency preparedness in the area.
“Safety is our No. 1 priority. We must have a good emergency preparedness system in place wherever we operate. Together with the other operators, the authorities, and the supply industry, we have through 50 years developed the preparedness for the fields in the North Sea and in the Norwegian Sea,” said says Grete B. Haaland, Equinor’s senior vice president for exploration and production north. “With Johan Castberg coming on stream towards the end of the year and increased activity in the north, we are now establishing an areawide emergency preparedness system in the Barents Sea in the Barents Sea.”
The plan is a collaboration between Equinor and Vår Energi, operator of Goliat, and was initiated by the Barents Sea Operation Cooperation. The Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority gave consent to the establishment of the areawide emergency preparedness system, which is expected to be operational beginning 1 January.
The new areawide emergency preparedness system is designed to further strengthen the emergency preparedness and is dimensioned to deal with emergency preparedness incidents in an ocean area characterized by long distances, harsh weather conditions, and important natural resources. The system enables interaction and sharing of common resources, and other companies may join later.
“This will help improve safety and strengthened emergency preparedness for the fisheries and other users of the sea in this area,” Haaland said. “We will, among other things, build a new emergency response and rescue vessel that will make a difference. We have worked closely with the fishing fleet on emergency preparedness in the Barents Sea since the start-up of Goliat, where we are a licensee.”
The areawide emergency preparedness system for the southwestern Barents Sea includes:
- One all-weather search and rescue helicopter stationed at Hammerfest Airport
- Three emergency response and rescue vessels with standing oil spill response capabilities—one vessel dedicated to Goliat, one dedicated to Johan Castberg, and one joint emergency response and rescue vessel
- A new emergency response and rescue vessel that will feature inspection, maintenance, and repair capabilities to contribute to safety, short response times, and inspections
- In the long term, faster response times for search and rescue and improved medical preparedness in the area
- Continuous ocean and ice monitoring
- Monitoring and follow-up from Equinor's operations center in Bergen with physical infrastructure, digital systems, and round-the-clock staffing
- Increased interaction, central coordination, and mutual agreement between the companies that are part of the areawide emergency preparedness