The Norwegian competition authority has issued a Statement of objections to Floatel and Prosafe regarding the proposed merger, on September 16. However, Floatel and Prosafe released a statement, saying that they do not agree with the NCA decision.
On September 13, Equinor’s emergency response centre received reports of a fire in the engine room of the tanker ‘Dubai Harmony’. The ship is moored at the quayside at the Sture terminal in Øygarden municipality in Hordaland. The fire in the engine room of the crude oil tanker has now been extinguished. Namely, the fire has now been extinguished and the fire service is continuing to cool the area where the fire took place.
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) completed a successful data acquisition expedition on the Mohns Ridge in the north-western Norwegian Sea, using the Seabed Constructor vessel, during their four-week expedition.
Norway’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy saw an increased exploration interest for the Norwegian Continental Shelf, as it has received a great number of applications from 33 oil companies in the licensing round Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2019.
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted its consent for start-up of the Johan Sverdrup field in the North Sea. The field is expected to produce oil for the next 40 years. Operator Equinor plans to start sometime this autumn for the first phase of the field development. Construction phase two is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2022.
According to an assessment by Norwegian authorities, its maritime and oil and gas sectors have recently been victims of cyber campaigns specifically targeting companies in the US, Europe and the Middle East. For this reason, Norway advises companies to be prepared for continuous activity in the short to medium term.
Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein Verft announced delivery of the world’s largest plug-in hybrid vessel, ‘Color Hybrid’, to Oslo-based company Color Line, on 1st August. The ship represents an important milestone for its innovative and new environmentally friendly solutions.
Following the recent tension in the Strait of Hormuz, the Norwegian Maritime Authority updated its instructions for Norwegian-flagged vessels sailing through the strait. The NMA alerts that they will keep monitoring the situation and any changes will be rapidly updated.
In 2018, Statistics Norway launched a report concerning the number of Norwegian seafarers, as asked from the Norwegian Ministry. The statistics revealed that more than 20,000 Norwegian seafarers work on Norwegian vessels, marking an increase of about 400 seafarers in comparison to 2017.
In March 2019, the PSA decided to investigate an incident at Equinor’s land facility Hammerfest LNG. The plant has over time been driven by weaknesses in safety-critical equipment. The investigation found breaches of the rules and PSA has notified Equinor of orders.
