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The incident was re-enacted the following day in daylight. Here, the FRB is on its way under the rig.
The incident was re-enacted the following day in daylight. Here, the FRB is on its way under the rig.

Press release -

Bravo Zulu, 'Esvagt Aurora'…!

Prompt action from ESVAGT’s stand by vessel ‘Esvagt Aurora’ saved a Scottish engineers’ live from the Barents Sea

A 40-year old Scottish engineer from the semi-submersible rig, the Scarabeo 8, working for ENI Norge in the Goliat sector can thank his lucky stars – and ESVAGT – that he is still alive.

Early in the morning of the 20th of February 2015, the engineer fell through a hole in the gangway on the rig and landed 13 metres below in the cold, dark Barents Sea. A colleague saw the incident and raised the man-overboard alarm. The alarm summoned the ‘Esvagt Aurora’, which was on standby about a kilometre away from the rig. The “Esvagt Aurora” received the report at 4:11 a.m., launched its high-speed rescue boat into the water at 4:13 a.m. and rescued the man from the water at 4:17 a.m.

Three minutes later, he was brought on board the ‘Esvagt Aurora’ and received initial treatment in the vessel’s hospital. By then his body temperature was very low. At 6:25 a.m., he was flown by helicopter to the hospital in Hammerfest and was discharged again two days later.

The report from the Norwegian petroleum supervisory authority (Norsk Petroleumstilsyn) on the incident describes that even a marginal change in circumstances could have cost the engineer his life. ENI Norge has expressed its thanks to the shipping company and the crew of the ‘Esvagt Aurora’ for an “extraordinary and remarkable operation”.

“We are proud to have made a difference,” says Ole Ditlev Nielsen, Chief Commercial & Safety Officer for ESVAGT.

“We are especially proud of the crew on board, who reacted entirely optimally and achieved an outstanding result under difficult conditions. This is the result of procedures, best practise – and many, many hours of training,” he explains. “As part of their training, the crew had inspected the accessibility under the rig, which can be a real challenge in the dark or in bad weather conditions.”

Since 1981, ESVAGT has assisted with 45 rescue operations and saved 128 people.

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ESVAGT is a dedicated provider of safety and support at sea, founded on an experienced and well-trained offshore crew and unmatched rescue capabilities.

We support the offshore Oil & Gas industries with a wide range of specialized services: Standby, Emergency Response and Resque Vessels (ERRV), Oil spill response, Firefighting, Tanker assists, Rig moves, Supply services and Interfield transfer of cargo and personnel.

In 2010, ESVAGT brought the dedicated offshore wind Service Operation Vessels (SOV) to the market. The SOVs provide accommodation for up to 40 technicians, storage for small turbine parts and a workshop, plus personnel and equipment transfer capabilities by either Walk-to-Work gangway system or Safe Transfer Boats.

ESVAGT was founded in 1981 and has a fleet of more than 40 vessels and more than 900 employees on- and offshore. 

Contacts

Heidi Boddum

Heidi Boddum

Press contact Marketing & Communications Coordinator +45 78 730 772

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Safety & Support at Sea

ESVAGT is a dedicated provider of safety and support at sea and a market leader within offshore wind solutions.

We support the offshore Wind and Oil & Gas industries with a wide range of specialized services: Standby, Emergency Response and Resque Vessels (ERRV), Oil spill response, Firefighting, Tanker assists, Rig moves, Supply services and Interfield transfer of cargo and personnel.

We service offshore wind farms and have a fleet of dedicated Service Operation Vessels (SOV), which ESVAGT pioneered in 2010. The SOVs provide accommodation for technicians, spare time facilities, offices and conference room, storage for small turbine parts, workshops, etc. The SOV offers flexible personnel and equipment transfer capabilities by either Walk-to-Work gangway system or Safe Transfer Boats.
ESVAGT was founded in 1981 and has a fleet of more than 40 vessels and approximately 1300 employees offshore and onshore.

ESVAGT A/S
Dokvej 4
6700 Esbjerg
Denmark
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