Eni Norge to learn how to handle oil spills in total darkness
Eni Norge will buy in training for staff from what it believes is the world’s first centre providing instruction for oil spill response in total darkness, which it says will be vital for recovery operations in northern waters.
The Norwegian subsidiary of the Italian oil giant Eni has entered into a spill contingency training agreement with the Nordkapp Maritime Training Centre in Honningsvåg, Norway.
The centre will be the first in the world to use simulators for oil recovery training in “conditions of darkness,” the firm said in a statement. It added that the centre has state-of-the-art simulators to mimic a variety of demanding conditions.
Eni said this will be vital for its work on the Goliat field development, in the Barents Sea. Located 85km northwest of Hammerfest, Norway (latitude 61° North), the field sees no sunshine during winter months.
Goliat will be the first oil field to come on stream in the Barents Sea. Eni Norge is operator of the field with a 65% share. Statoil owns the remaining 35%.
The field is being developed using a floating production, storage and offloading platform (FPSO), and is planned to come on stream in the middle of 2015.
As well as training in oil spill response, the contract with the Nordkapp centre covers towing, using the standby vessel “Esvagt Aurora”, to remove vessels that may be drifting on a collision course with the Goliat platform.
It also covers team coordination and training for personnel manning the Goliat platform, standby vessels and shuttle tankers to enable them to carry out loading and offloading operations.
The centre will also train onshore and offshore personnel in how to obtain a joint situational understanding during a potential incident.
The contract begins 1 November 2014 for a period of three years, and contains extension options.