Norwegian oil company Statoil claims it has “sharpened routines” and learned from the trouble it had at its Gullfaks C well in the North Sea last year. Meanwhile, a probe of the trouble found that Statoil leaders need to listen more to their employees and get better at accepting criticism.
Statoil had a series of gas leaks and safety issues on the Gullfaks platform that led to a police investigation of Norway’s largest company. State regulators had claimed that a blowout was only narrowly avoided, while employees had been complaining about safety matters for months.
Now Statoil says that its internal management systems will be simplified and bureaucracy reduced, to avoid any loss of control over the pressure on Gullfaks C. The company will also better prepare leaders to take responsibility.
Company officials said that “good cooperation” between management and employee representatives have laid a foundation for learning and improvements.
Regulators wouldn’t yet comment on whether they were satisfied with Statoil’s reponse to the earlier criticism.
Views and News staff
