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Two Norwegian oil platforms ordered to halt production
AFP
OSLO
Petroleumworld.com 10 13 06
Two oil platforms off the coast of Norway, the world's third-biggest oil exporter, were ordered to suspend production on Thursday for security reasons, officials said.
The closure of the Draugen and Snorre A platforms would reduce Norwegian production by 200,000 barrels of oil per day, representing almost 10 percent of production.
The Petroleum Safety Authority of Norway, tasked with security issues in the oil sector, ordered the closure of the platforms one day after 39 life rafts on eight offshore platforms were found to be in violation of security requirements.
"The oil companies had until midnight (2200 GMT) on Wednesday to propose alternative security arrangements," the agency's spokeswoman told AFP.
"We accepted the plans presented by six of the platforms but we rejected those for Draugen and Snorre A," she said, adding that meant the groups had to suspend their operations.
But Statoil and Shell, the respective operators of Snorre A and Draugen, told AFP they would not immediately suspend production.
"We will first examine the letter from The Petroleum Safety Authority," a Statoil spokesman said.
Shell said it would rapidly present a new security plan which would "meet The Petroleum Safety Authority's requirements and will prevent us from having to suspend production."
Snorre A produces some 110,000 barrels per day (bpd) and Draugen 80,000 bpd. Norway produced 2.253 million bpd in September.
On Wednesday, the national association of oil workers, OLF, said it had discovered faults on the second generation of FF48 life rafts constructed by Umoe Schat-Harding.
Thirty-nine of the life rafts are on eight Norwegian platforms.
Pending repairs on the life rafts, which are to be completed by the end of November, Norwegian oil companies have reduced staff on the platforms to a strict minimum.
They have also boosted their other evacuation alternatives, such as helicopters and life boats. These plans for Snorre A and Draugen were the ones that were rejected.
AFP 12 1600 GMT 10 06
Copyright ©2006 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
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