One person has died and two others were injured on Wednesday after a large wave hit a semi-submersible drilling rig operating in the North Sea.
Statoil confirmed the incident in an email on Wednesday, reporting that the incident occurred at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, December 30th aboard the COSL Innovator. The company said it was informed by police that one person has died as a result of the “breaking wave”.
Earlier this company said the three people had been injured.
The rig is currently under contract to Statoil on the Troll field in the North Sea, west of Bergen.
The company said that the rig had been taken off the well due to heavy weather when the incident occurred. The wave has also caused damage to the rig’s accommodation module.
All three workers were flown to land to seek medical treatment on land. Statoil said that the rig is also being evacuated down to a safety crew.
At least one Sea King helicopter from the Norwegian Joint Rescue Coordination Centre and one of Statoil’s own SAR helicopters participated in the response.
“The rig is now heading to shore under its own power, while evacuation takes place,” Statoil said an update.
Statoil did not provide any information concerning the condition of the two others.
The heavy weather is associated with powerful winter storm “Frank”, a hurricane force low that developed rapidly over the North Atlantic this week and battered parts of the UK on Tuesday night and Wednesday, bringing with it heavy winds and rain and causing major damage.
COSL Innovator is owned by COSL Drilling Europe AS, a subsidiary of China Oilfield Services Limited.
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