By Ole Jacob Haug, general manager of OFFB (Operators' association for emergency response)
The Norwegian Maritime Industry Authority and the authorities have high ambitions and demand that Norway continue to be a world leader in health, safety and environment - also within the new industries that are now to be developed.
Until the turn of the millennium, activity on the NCS was dominated by a few large oil companies with considerable experience and significant resources.
However, low oil prices and low exploration activity led to a low willingness to invest in the industry and the authorities felt compelled to take a number of measures to increase activity, including a new scheme for prequalification of companies, an allocation scheme for licenses in mature areas through APA and the introduction of the so-called exploration reimbursement scheme.
The result was a steady stream of new oil companies on the NCS.
Shares costs, resources and expertise
The requirements for emergency response are the same for small and large operators; everyone must be able to implement measures to deal with situations of hazard and accident and coordinate rescue operations.
However, creating large and resource-intensive emergency response organizations to take care of a few and short-term search operations did not seem appropriate for the small and medium-sized players. The companies also wanted to ensure robust preparedness.
In 2009, a number of the companies therefore decided to cooperate on emergency resoponse in OFFB (Operators' association for emergency response). The core is a cost-effective sharing model based on collaboration, quality, continuity and professionalism.
Since then, OFFB has grown in step with the operators and looked after more than 180 exploration operations and a number of offshore installations, underwater installations, production wells, gas pipelines and onshore facilities distributed among 40 different operators. Today, the emergency center at Forus is run by A/S Norske Shell, Aker BP, DNO, Gassco, OKEA, Sval Energi, Wellesley Petroleum and Wintershall Dea.
Every year, our emergency response teams and crisis management experts mobilize to deal with small and large emergency situations, while at the same time we further develop plans, carry out more than 100 exercises a year, train new personnel and work closely with the cooperative actors.
Petroleum AND new maritime industry
The association OFFB can today offer members a unique collection of expertise and experience in handling incidents in Norwegian oil and gas operations. When we in OFFB mobilize, it is as an integral part of the members' organizations. We are robust enough to stand the test of time and we are a predictable partner for all our cooperative actors - both private and public.
We want to share and further develop this knowledge with the new maritime industries.
Because the Norwegian continental shelf is changing. We will continue to extract oil and gas. At the same time, world-class emergency preparedness must ensure safe and cost-effective operations within the new maritime industries that are on the way - such as renewable energy production at sea, transport and storage of CO2 and extraction of seabed minerals.
"OFFB has no owners who demand returns and dividends. Therefore, we can use all our resources to develop and deliver high-quality emergency services."
Therefore, we can use all our resources to develop and deliver high-quality emergency services. In this way, we ensure the greatest possible and best possible preparedness for every penny.
Common challenge, common solution
We believe that knowledge and competence have greater value the more people who have access to it and can help develop it.
The new maritime industries face many of the same challenges that the small and medium-sized oil and gas companies did in 2009. The OFFB solution has served both the operators and the Norwegian continental shelf well for 15 years.
We now welcome the new industries into the collaboration.
There should be no competition for safety and preparedness. In this field we must all be the best.
