Kvaerner Public Service Announcement: – Statement of Expectations – E24

– We have received information from Kvaerner on what they have discovered and are working to guide us. We have had several meetings with various actors and in the near future we will have more meetings with them, the press contact at the PSA, Øyvind Midttun, tells Aftenbladet.

15 welders

On Wednesday night, Kvaerner stated that a quality check had revealed that “it appears that the correct test for some of the certificates has not been performed” on the welders of one of its subcontractors.

So far, 15 welders have been found to have falsified certificates. The company in question has been a long-time supplier to Kvaerner.

So far, the forgeries have been discovered in the verification of the documentation that was carried out when the welders were supposed to start work. According to Kvaerner and Equinor, the quality and safety of Norwegian courses should not be affected.

– In this case, we have so far disclosed that they have a certificate, but have never taken the test required for the certificate. They also have other certificates that may be correct, says communications director Torbjørn Andersen at Kvaerner at E24.

– The responsibility lies with Kvaerner

Øyvind Midttun says the PSA is working to get an overview of the case, but stresses that that responsibility lies with Kvaerner.

– This is primarily a matter for Kvaerner and his clients. They have told us that they have discovered incorrect documentation. We do not know what consequences this has, it is Kvaerner who must get an overview. If this has consequences for security on the Norwegian platform, we expect responsible operating companies to inform us, says Midttun.

Kvaerner has now started its own review of “certificates for subcontractor personnel” which “includes all of Kvaerner’s operations in Norway”.

The certificates to be forged bear the logo of the German engineering and certification company TÜV. They have been notified and confirm the Kvaerner information on their website.

Police alerted

In reality, the subcontractor was supposed to contribute welding work at the Kvaerner shipyard this fall, but the company claims they will now try to find others to do the work until the matter is cleared up.

According to Kvaerner, the police and clients have been notified. The company believes that the quality and construction of the offshore facilities are not affected.

– Kvaerner has zero tolerance for deviations from requirements and standards that are set to ensure proper quality, and where deviations can affect life, health, environment and safety, says Steinar Røgenes, Shipyard Director, Operators and Kvaerner’s engineering organization, adding:

– When we discover inaccuracies in important documentation, we take it very seriously. The case shows that we as an industry have strong systems in place that will ensure that quality and safety requirements are upheld.

Equinor: – Seriously

The relevant subcontractor writes on their website that they have worked on a number of large oil and gas projects, including several of the major projects on the Norwegian platform in recent years.

This applies to projects like Johan Sverdrup, Njord A, Johan Castberg, Nyhamna, Aasta Hansteen, Goliath, Edvard Grieg, and more.

Fredrik Jebsen Bråten, spokesperson for Technology, Projects and Drilling at Equinor, confirms that they have been notified by Kvaerner and that Equinor has notified the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority.

– We take this matter seriously. At the same time, it is important to note that the control systems that have been established have worked in that this has been revealed in the first of many barriers. Safety is the first priority, says Bråten.

He says they currently have no basis to say that the welding quality of the projects delivered is affected by the case.

– What is Equinor doing now?

– We are in dialogue with Kvaerner and we are continuously informed about the case. We will continue the dialogue with the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority.