Six dead on construction site of Norwegian oil platform

Photo: Lee Jung-hoon/Yonhap via AP

Six dead on shipyard in South Korea

On Monday morning there was an accident involving two cranes in connection with the construction of the Martin Linge modules by the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea. Total E & P is the operator of the oil field.

– Six people have died and 22 are injured in a crane accident at the shipyard Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea, according to Korea Times.

– The accident occurred during construction of a Norwegian oil platform for Total E & P, the company’s Communications Manager, Leif Harald Halvorsen, confirms to VG.

– We still know very little, but are working on getting an overview, says Halvorsen.

The accident supposedly occurred at 7.50 a.m. Norwegian time. A rescue operation to save people who are trapped under the crane is now under way, according to the Korea Times.

According to the news agency Yonhap, there were two cranes that collided, which meant that a construction fell from one of the cranes. Six are  confirmed dead, five seriously injured and 17 with minor injuries.

– It’s still chaotic on the site, a police officer said, according to the news agency.

The accident happened where the modules for the Martin Linge platform are being built, Total confirms in a press release. E24 wrote last week that the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway at the end of March inspected the Martin Linge project in South Korea. The PSA found a number of deficiencies in the module and errors related to the technical execution of electrical installations, and after the visit, has notified the operator, Total, that they might be ordered to correct errors and deficiencies.

No one from Total’s project organization are among the dead or injured, according to the press release from the company. The Frenchl oil company Total E & P is listed in 98 licenses on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and is operator of 33, including the Martin Linge field. The field is located in the North Sea, and the project is delayed according to the original plans.

Many industrial accidents

Samsung is the world’s third largest shipbuilder after Hyundai Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering.

The industry has undergone a major restructuring since three years ago was hit by recession as a result of falling oil prices and the slowdown in global trade. At Geoje, which houses many shipyards and subcontractors, tens of thousands of workers lost their jobs. Many workers have since lost their lives in workplace accidents.

South Koreans are entitled to leave with pay on May 1, but many still go to work anyway. Samsung Heavy said that there were 15,000 people at work in the yard when the accident occurred.

Source: NTB scanpix / E24  / Norway Today