Production remains stalled from Statoil's Veslefrikk field

Production from Statoil ASA's Veslefrikk oil field in the Norwegian North Sea could remain shut in for as long as 2 weeks for work on lifeboats on two platforms.

Aug. 4, 2005

Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent

LOS ANGELES, Aug 4 -- Production from Statoil ASA's Veslefrikk oil field in the Norwegian North Sea could remain shut in for as long as 2 weeks for work on lifeboats on two platforms.

The superstructures of a total of six freefall lifeboats on Veslefrikk and Statoil's Kristin gas and condensate field in the Norwegian Sea are to be reinforced after defects were discovered in one of the craft during June.

"Our goal is to restart Veslefrikk once repairs, preventive maintenance, and inspection of the davit-launched lifeboats on its platforms are completed," said Statoil.

Three of the lifeboats are on the Veslefrikk A fixed steel wellhead platform and Veslefrikk B semisubmersible production platform. The other three are on Kristin's floating production platform.

In addition to its own output of 30,000 b/d of crude oil, Veslefrikk remotely operates Huldra gas field, which produces 6 million cu m/day. Kristin is to begin production in October.

Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].