Statoil: Rig Fire Under Control

The fire that broke out on the drilling rig Scarabeo 5 on Tuesday afternoon is now under control. 

The 106 people on board when the fire was reported in the rig’s engine room have all been accounted for.

Scarabeo 5 is currently located at the Njord field in the Norwegian Sea. Statoil reports that there are no longer visible flames or smoke at the site of the fire, and the situation is under control. 

As a result of the fire, 33 people were evacuated from the rig by helicopter. 14 of these were flown to a nearby installation and 19 to shore in Kristiansund, Norway. There are no current currently to evacuate more people, and personnel are no longer mustered at the lifeboat stations. They are able to remain indoors and can return to their cabins.

No drilling operations were underway when the incident occurred. The rig is equipped with two engine rooms and a total of eight engines.

The standby vessels Ocean Response and Troms Sirius are at the field and assisting the drilling rig. Three helicopters are also available in connection with the incident.

The rig also suffered a fire in September 2013. The fire was caused by a gas leak while it was in the Keppel Verolme yard in the Netherlands for modifications and repair. Three people were injured.