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Tag: evacuate

  • Breaking ice scares Russian researchers

    Breaking ice scares Russian researchers

    Search and rescue in the arctic

    Yesterday, 27th of May 2013, Russian government approved the plans to evacuate sixteen people and large amount of materials from the floating research station ´´North Pole – 40´´ that has been drifting close to the North Pole.

    The nuclear powered research icebreaker ´´Yamal´´ is now preparing to leave the Arctic waters on the rescue mission. The vessel is planned to leave Murmansk at the end of this week and it will reach its home station about two weeks later.

    The cost of this action is estimated to reach close to 1.6 million Euros.

    The Arctic ice has now broken up in pieces and makes it impossible for the crew to be rescued by plane or helicopter. The ice ridging on the floe does not allow building an airstrip for any plane. The floe has drifted out of reach for helicopters.

    Russian government claims that the ´´North Pole – 40´´ research icebreaker will continue its work in the Arctic even after it has been removed from the ice floe.

    An abandoned Polar station on Severnaya Zemlya is now being prepared to host Arctic researchers and their equipment.

    Russian drifting station ´´North Pole – 40´´ has been an important contributor to exploration of the Arctic. It carries out the program of complex year – round research fields of oceanology, ice studies, meteorology, aerology, geophysics, hydro-chemistry and marine biology.

    The “North Pole – 40” is organized by Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute.

    Source: Barents Observer

  • Over 300 people evacuated from oil rig

    Over 300 people evacuated from oil rig

    Oil rig in the northern sea

    Norway’s state-owned energy giant Statoil on Wednesday evacuated around 330 people from a North Sea platform off the coast of Norway after it began listing.

    “Around 330 people were evacuated and we’re halting the evacuation at this stage,” said Einar Knudsen, a spokesman for the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Southern Norway. Just over 40 people were to stay on the rig for security work, he added.

    The Floatel Superior, effectively a floating hotel for staff working on the neighbouring Njord A production platform, was evacuated after the rig had tilted four degrees due to a leak in one of the ballast tanks, Statoil said.

    The rupture appeared to have been caused by a collision with an anchor.

    The Njord A itself, which lies about 50 nautical miles from land, is currently closed for maintenance, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.

    The rig was stabilized an hour later after other ballast tanks were partially flooded to balance it, but as a safety precaution all non-essential personnel, meaning the vast majority of the 374 people on board, were evacuated.

    “We normally have two layers of protection against leaks, and since there remained only one, we decided to bring non-essential personnel to safety,” group spokesman Ola Anders Skauby told AFP.

    “We take the situation seriously,” he said, adding that it was normal to prepare for a worst case scenario.

    Six helicopters were deployed to the area, in difficult weather, according to the rescue centre. Employees were airlifted from the Floatel to Njord A, Knudsen said.

    Source:
    The Local