Offshore staff
OSLO -- Eight oil companies have joined to conduct an extensive study of helicopter safety on the Norwegian continental shelf at a cost of $2 million over the next three years. The aim of the project, which will be carried out by the Sintef research foundation in Trondheim, is to help ensure that the NCS remains in the forefront for helicopter safety, the companies say.
The Norwegian Oil Industry Association (OLF) will coordinate the study.
The latest project represents the third major Norwegian study of offshore helicopter safety. The first covered 1966-90, the second focused on 1990-98/99, and the present work will deal with 2000-10.
While the initial study (HSS-I) found that the accident risk corresponded to 4.1 fatalities per million person-hours flown, the second identified a reduction to 2.3 per million.
A commission of inquiry appointed by the Ministry of Transport and Communications specified in 2002 that the overall probability of dying in a helicopter accident should be at least halved compared with 1990-2000 over the coming 10-year period.
The HSS-III is being funded by ConocoPhillips, StatoilHydro, BP, Gaz de France, Total, Marathon, Shell, and Eni Norge.
09/17/2008
