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The security guard strike is increasing and will affect helicopter traffic at several Norwegian airports, including Sola. Oil workers can be trapped in the North Sea and rig operations can be affected.
The security strike hits helicopter traffic between oil and gas fields along the entire Norwegian coastline. The Brønnøysund and Florø heliports are closed. Stavanger, Bergen, Hammerfest, Kristiansund are badly affected. Stord is configured as an additional helipad.
Jon Ingemundsen
Published:
The guard strike intensified until Tuesday night. According to NRK Rogaland, this led to a sharp reduction in traffic since Tuesday. In Florø all traffic has already stopped. And when the strike escalates further Saturday night, the Stavanger Sola airport terminal will be hit.
Equinor: – Activity is affected
Equinor fears for activity in the many oil and gas fields along the Norwegian coast.
– We cannot rule out that we should do something with the activity, stop projects or stop production, if the logistics between sea and land do not rise, says press contact Morten Eek to AftenbladetE24.
– Do you have plans for what or where to score first?
– We have to see that in the next few days. We have had to move helicopter capacity from north to south over time. Now we’ll see what the announced escalation means in the future, says Eek.
Most notable since Monday
The strike creates significant logistical problems for the helicopter companies.
– Sola traffic is affected from night to Saturday, but it is from Monday that we will feel stronger. Then traffic will be affected by more than 50 percent, Petter Sem-Henriksen in Bristow Norway tells NRK Rogaland.
Guards, who have been on strike for more than two months, play an important role at heliports, also when it comes to infection control regulations. also regarding the infection control rules that companies must now follow
Has moved to Stord
A 50 percent reduction in Sola could have major consequences for the operation of platforms in the North Sea. Equinor itself has 60 weekly departures to its platforms.
Bristow has also flown three of its helicopters to Stord airport, to avoid the security strike.
– In Stord, the capacity is now maximum. It’s a small airport with little capacity, but we made the most of it, says Sem-Henriksen.
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Equinor: we are very affected
Equinor transports oil workers from six helipads along the coast from Hammerfest in the north to Sola in the south. Only Hammerfest is almost normal. The others are hit hard or shut down, according to press contact Morten Eek at Equinor.
– We are very affected by the strike along the entire coast. In Bergen, the number of flights has dropped from 135 normally to 54 this week.
Equinor has moved many of its outputs to the Troll and Oseberg fields from Bergen to Stord. Workers must be transported by bus and ferry before they can start the flight at sea.
– We have also acquired a little extra capacity in Sola when it has been possible. It has been our way of solving the problem, says Eek.
Equinor cannot rule out that the strike will affect production. – We may have to watch the activity at sea. This is not something we’ve concluded on, but we can’t rule it out if we don’t get to fly to and from the facility, says Morten Eek’s press contact at Equinor.
Fredrik Refvem
Brønnøysund and Florø closed
In Brønnøysund, the heliport has been closed and the six weekly departures have been moved to Kristiansund, which has also reduced capacity. Florø is also completely closed now. These exits have moved to Flesland, according to Eek.
– In Bergen, capacity has basically been reduced due to the security strike, so many flights have also been canceled, says Eek.
Therefore, Equinor has used Stord as its seventh heliport. But if the strike intensifies in Sola starting this weekend, as announced, the pressure on helicopter capacity will be even greater. Equinor has around 60 departures from Stavanger a week.
– This weekend, the Sola heliport will close if the strike continues, but there will probably be some capacity starting next week. This means that the supply is so low that we run the risk of not being able to take off for the need we have, says Eek.
Threat production
Already now there are many oil workers who do not go out on their assignments. This especially applies to suppliers who perform maintenance and modifications. But there are also more workers at sea who are on their third week on duty, according to Eek.
– We must recognize that more people experience this as a difficult situation. They are flexible and compensated, but it is a loner that should be increasing and we know that it can be difficult.
– Respect the conflict
– Equinor has become criticized for being too creative in finding alternative solutions in a strike situation.
– We respect that there is a legal conflict between two other parties. So we have tried to find alternatives to avoid being hit, says Eek.
– Are you going too far?
– We believe that we are within the margin of maneuver in a labor dispute in which we ourselves are not a party, in order to find solutions that prevent it from affecting us as much as possible. But even with the alternatives we have, it gets more difficult the more extensive the weightlifting punch becomes, Eek says.
Equinor has been on strike practically from day one and has had to make adjustments in various offices and on-shore facilities as well. Receptions have not been manned and own resources have been deployed here as well where possible.
– But it only gets more precarious when logistics stop between land and sea, says Eek.
The guards have everything from baggage handling, counter, suit delivery and security check. They also have coronary management services these days.
– These are services that we depend on and we are concerned that the preparation around this is well attended, says Eek.
