Author: Alf Inge Molde

Beredskapskonferansen er et samarbeid mellom Havindustritilsynet, Operatørenes forening for beredskap (OFFB), Offshore Norge, fagforbundet Styrke og Kystverket.

Siden oppstarten har konferansen vært Norges viktigste arena for erfaringsutveksling og samarbeid om beredskapsspørsmål for alle partene i arbeidslivet – inkludert myndigheter, arbeidstakere og arbeidsgivere i offentlige og private virksomheter, fagorganisasjoner, politi, forsvar og akademia.

Mer informasjon: https://www.beredskapskonferansen.no/

Bakteppet for årets Beredskapskonferanse er den alvorlige sikkerhetspolitiske situasjonen i Europa og Norges rolle som en sikker energileverandør, forteller Erling Holmefjord i Styrke, som sammen med daglig leder i OFFB, Ole Jacob Haug, leder programkomiteen til konferansen.

Konferansen sparkes i gang med beredskapsdebatt arrangert av Proactima tirsdag 13. mai klokken 19, og fortsetter med én og en halv dags program onsdag 14. og torsdag 15. mai. Hovedtemaene er Totalforsvaret, beredskap og kapasiteter i det maritime domenet og økt aktivitet i nord.

– Vi er svært fornøyde med å ha fått med oss sterke beredskaps- og sikkerhetseksperter fra en rekke av de ledende olje- og gasselskapene, Statsforvalteren i Rogaland, Havindustritilsynet, Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB), Kystverket, Politiets sikkerhetstjeneste (PST), akademia og næringslivet som foredragsholdere, sier Holmefjord.

– Vi har også med oss en rekke utstillere og sponsorer som gjør det mulig å skape denne viktige møteplassen, fortsetter han.

Parallelt med Beredskapskonferansen gjennomføres Informasjonssikkerhetskonferansen, som er en årlig nasjonal for ledere og brukere av digitale sikkerhetssystemer, kommunikasjonsverktøy og automatiseringsløsninger fra alle deler av næringslivet.

– I år er det et spesielt fokus på beskyttelse av industrisystemer, it-trusler og kunstig intelligens, sier Holmefjord. 

Mer informasjon: https://www.beredskapskonferansen.no/infosikkerhet/hjem

Fjorårets konferanser samlet 300 personer på Clarion Hotel Air på Sola. Den sikkerhetspolitiske situasjonen gjør at beredskap er i vinden som aldri før og det foregår mange konferanser og samlinger på alle nivå – over hele landet.

Holmefjord og Haug er likevel ikke i tvil om at Beredskapskonferansen og Informasjonssikkerhetskonferansen fyller en viktig rolle:

– Konferansene og den unike møteplassen er viktigere enn noen gang, sier Ole Jacob Haug.  

Mer informasjon: https://www.beredskapskonferansen.no/billetter

Emergency preparedness work on the Norwegian Continental Shelf is based on a proactive approach and a well-established division of responsibilities between the tactical level in the first line, the operational level in the second line, and the strategic level in the third line.

Read also: Hvem er 1. linje, 2. linje og 3. linje? Og hva gjør egentlig OFFB? Bli kjent med oss – på fire minutter.

This structure ensures effective handling of all emergency situations, from unwanted incidents such as personal injuries and vessels on a collision course to more prolonged events like oil spills.

However, when incidents grow in scale and duration, it becomes necessary to transition management and planning to a project organization tailored to the specific situation.

Common System, Shared Resource Pool

Oil spill response operations fall into this category. Operators on the Norwegian Continental Shelf already collaborate closely through NOFO (Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies) and recognize the great value of supporting each other with personnel and expertise – both domestically and internationally.

For this reason, operators have agreed on a shared management system for handling oil spill response operations, known as the Incident Command System (ICS). Each company has also committed to providing a number of trained specialists who can be made available to support one another in case of an emergency.

OFFB has contingency plans that ensure a smooth transition from a line organization to ICS and regularly conducts courses through its Competence Center.

Training Necessary to Maintain Competence

The methodology is also tested in major exercises, such as Exercise Draugen with OKEA and Exercise Tveegg with Aker BP. However, experience shows that these types of exercises require significant effort to prepare and execute. OFFB recognizes the need to establish a new training program.

Read also: Exercise Draugen

Read also: Exercise Tveegg (AkerBP.com)

Therefore, we are now preparing ICS training for personnel who have completed the ICS 100, ICS 200, and ICS 300 courses and need to maintain their competence.

The training sessions will span three days and include theoretical refreshers and role-specific training within the organization’s planning cycle – under expert guidance from trained emergency response personnel in OFFB’s organization.

- The training sessions are open to all OFFB members. The first session will take place from June 17–19, with additional sessions scheduled for September and November 2025, says Trond Gleditsch, Head of Training and Exercises at OFFB.

Energistafetten henter inspirasjon fra Holmenkollstafetten og stemningen i Tour de France, og ble i år arrangert for første gang av Bedriftsidretten i Rogaland, sammen med en rekke frivillige fra organisasjonens støttespillere.

OFFB ble utfordret til å stille av medlemsselskapet Aker BP like etter påske, og tokt utfordringen på strak arm. Arrangementet fikk full uttelling med knallvær og fulltegnet deltakerliste.

– Vi er imponert over hva arrangørene har fått til. De lyktes på alle områder. God informasjon, god logistikk, masse folk og enormt god stemning. Det var rett og slett veldig kjekt, skryter Brigt Nesheim.

Hvert lag skulle løpe ti etapper. OFFB stilte med åtte stykker; Thea Blume, Magnus Klem Husebye, Brigt Nesheim, Marlén Jünge, Jone Nevøy, Otto Galta, Ole Jacob Haug og Therese Hansen. Otto Galta meldte seg til å ta tre etapper på rappen.

Det slo egentlig bare positivt ut på sluttresultatet – cirka midt på treet totalt sett.

Det viktigste var imidlertid å delta, presiserer Nesheim.

– Det kjekkeste var å møte hverandre og skape en god sosial arena utenfor kontoret, treffe kjentfolk fra medlemsselskapene i OFFB, samarbeidspartnerne våre og heie hverandre fram. Nå håper vi at flere har lyst til å henge seg på neste år, sier han.

Og OFFB stiller i 2024?

– Absolutt!

Text: Alf Inge Molde

“It is actually quite unique for operating companies to meet in this way and to share knowledge between each other – about what has worked well and what hasn’t. There is plenty of room for openness and honesty,” says Dag Normann Aasjord, the forum’s secretary.

Aasjord has held this position since 2012, and he is also a second line on-duty emergency response manager and head of OFFB’s competence centre. The forum’s leadership circulates among its members.

The forum’s purpose is to provide an arena for exchanging knowledge and expertise within the field of emergency preparedness and response for OFFB’s members. It is also an advisory body to the emergency response organisation’s managing director.

Topics ranging from plan development, training and exercise, courses and expertise, to the handling of actual incidents, organising emergency response tasks, and the standardisation of solutions to common problems, are being discussed within the forum.

Learning beyond and across
At the 50th meeting, Gassco, Wintershall Dea, DNO, Shell, OKEA, Sval Energi, Aker BP, Wellesley and Neptune Energy were represented, together with several members of OFFB’s staff.

In addition to an update on OFFB’s operations and work in progress, the technical forum got a review of how one of OFFB’s members handled an incident last winter which triggered mobilisation. The expectations and challenges related to a collaboration agreement within the industry on how to handle major oil spills were also presented and discussed.

The latter resulted in a separate working group now being established to ensure a common approach among OFFB's members.

“Working groups have already been established in several other areas, including human resources, communication, CIM and now also action management,” says Aasjord.

Different, but with common challenges
There is no hiding the fact that the operators constituting the emergency response collaboration are different, both in terms of size, ownership, culture, activity and organisation.

“Nevertheless, there are many common features, and everyone has something to learn from each other, whether we are big or small. There is no requirement that we should all be the same,” Aasjord clarifies.

Kåre Olav Oftedal, HSE advisor at Gassco, has been a member of the technical forum since 2016 and its leader since 2021. He believes it is important to meet the other operators on a regular basis.

“This year, it has been exciting to get Aker BP in as a new member of OFFB and in the technical forum, and there are always current issues to discuss with each other. It is useful to bring the professionals of OFFB and the members together,” says Oftedal.

Further development

Managing director of OFFB, Ole Jacob Haug, praises the effort that has been put into the technical forum since its inception in 2010.

“The advice and feedback from our members have been, and are, very useful in ensuring that the administration develops its emergency preparedness and response in a way that works well for all members, regardless of size and activity,” says Haug.