Norway’s state-owned Equinor has suffered another safety incident on one of its domestic assets, this time before the facility has even been installed at its designated offshore field.
A fire broke out on Thursday on the Johan Castberg floating production, storage and offloading vessel that is docked at Aker Solutions’ Stord yard in western Norway.
Aker Solutions confirmed that on Wednesday smoke was discovered at the Johan Castberg floating production vessel, which is at Stord for final completion.
“All personnel working on the vessel have been evacuated and there are no reports of injuries. The fire was stopped shortly after it was detected,” said the Norwegian contractor.
“The fire started in relation to work at the cargo deck, and the cause of the incident will be investigated.”
The preliminary assessment indicates that the damages are limited.
On Thursday, work has commenced on the facility with the exception of a smaller area which will remain closed until assessments are concluded, added Aker Solutions.
“The incident will not influence the progress of the project,” the company said.
Operator Equinor confirmed to Reuters that the Johan Castberg FPSO had suffered minor damage as a result of Wednesday’s fire, and that the current timeline of the project would not be impacted.
The Johan Castberg oilfield in the Barents Sea is scheduled to start production in the fourth quarter of 2024, the Norwegian government last year said.
The hull and the living quarters for the project’s FPSO were built by Sembcorp Marine in Singapore however the contractor’s progress was hit by Covid-related issues and rising costs and delays. Equinor decided in late 2021 to transport the structures to Norway for completion.
