Author: Alf Inge Molde

Line Viste (text)
Jan Inge Haga (photo)

Visitors to OFFB often ask about the names of our meeting rooms; Anita, Siri, Randi, and Eva. And yes, they are named after people.

"It had to be that way. They really deserve the credit for OFFB’s existence," says OFFB’s managing director, Ole Jacob Haug.

15 Years on duty
t’s been 15 years since the first OFFB on-duty team was placed on emergency standby for the drilling of the Fogelberg exploration well using the West Alpha rig in the North Sea. The company was called Centrica at the time. Together with Revus (which became Wintershall during the process) and Det Norske, they were the first full-fledged OFFB member companies.

Utseth, Nesbø, Morvik, and Fagernes know the story of how the Norwegian Operators’ Emergency Preparedness Association (OFFB) came to be well. They helped create it. It all began back in 2007.

Part of the backdrop was the exploration tax refund scheme introduced by the Norwegian government in the early 2000s. This led to a significant increase in exploration activity and the emergence of many small companies—commonly referred to as "oil mosquitoes"—on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. 

Anita Utseth realized that a more professional emergency preparedness organization was necessary when the small company she worked for, Pertra, experienced a production riser failure on the Varg field—in the middle of the Christmas party season.

"That’s when we understood that we weren’t well equipped for emergency response, and that a semi-professional second line just wasn’t enough. It was also a poor solution that the management teams received phone calls in the middle of a wine bottle on Friday nights," says Utseth.

At that time, Morvik worked at Revus—one of the "oil mosquitoes" that also saw the value in collaborating on a shared preparedness organization.

"It was my boss at the time, Ellen Braune, who gave me the assignment to find out if this was feasible. I knew very little about emergency preparedness back then. Luckily, I found great collaborators at OLF (now Offshore Norway). They asked us to conduct a feasibility study. That’s when the ball started rolling," Morvik recalls.

Siri Nesbø var da HMS-sjef i Centrica, og også hun skulle bli sentral i oppstartsarbeidet for OFFB. 

– Det var en krevende oppstart, og jeg hadde egentlig aldri drømt om at det skulle bli en slik suksess som det har blitt, sier Nesbø.

Thinking Big
OLF (now called Offshore Norge), and especially Ove Haugen, was an important supporter. Once the project group received the green light that a joint emergency response center was realistic, the hunt began for companies willing to commit as members. Several companies showed interest, but finding those with concrete drilling plans and long-term commitment was a major task.

"The working title was National Emergency Response Center, so we were thinking big. Randi, Siri, and I fought our way into executive meetings to sell the message. During that time, we talked to each other constantly. I’ve never felt more like a salesperson than I did then," says Utseth.

Even without a large operating company that could ensure stable activity, they managed to establish a financing model.

"That was a milestone that showed we could succeed with our project," they say.

"We were all actively involved in shaping the organization, and I believe I participated in every single job interview for the original 15 hires, Utseth says.

The first employee was Ole Jacob Haug, who has been the general manager since the beginning and has played a key role in building the organization and developing it into what it is today.

“Getting the right people on board was crucial. Everyone who joined from the start took a bit of a risk. Three dry wells—and that could have been the end of it, even though we firmly believed the project had long-term potential," Utseth continues.

The risk paid off—for both operators and employees.

Since its inception, OFFB has provided emergency response services for more than 200 exploration and production wells—as well as for numerous production platforms, subsea installations, pipelines, and onshore facilities, across around 40 different operator companies.

Built on Volunteer Spirit
Ved oppstarten hadde OFFB tre ordinære medlemsbedrifter og fire assosierte medlemmer. OFFB ble etablert som en non-profit og flyttet inn i toppetasjen i Koppholen 19 på Forus. Randi Morvik (Revus/Wintershall), Siri Nesbø (Centrica), Anita Utseth (Det norske) utgjorde det opprinnelige styret. Siden ble Eva Fagernes (Gaz de France) og Arild Thorsrud (Rocksource) styremedlemmer. Bridge Energy, Discover Petroleum, EON og OMV var med som assosierte medlemmer. 

Siden ble Eva Fagernes (Gaz de France) og Arild Thorsrud (Rocksource) styremedlemmer. Bridge Energy, Discover Petroleum, EON og OMV var med som assosierte medlemmer.

Eva Fagernes hadde også tidlig vært engasjert i prosjektet gjennom sin stilling som HMS-sjef i Gaz de France, og kom på banen igjen da selskapet forberedte seg til driftsfasen på Gjøa. Hun mener OFFB er et eksempel på styrken i den norske modellen, hvor selskapene evner å samarbeide der det er mulig og gir mening, for et felles beste.

– Prosjektet med å skape et felles beredskapssenter var tuftet på dugnadsånd, med et sterkt fokus på profesjonalitet. Tanken var at de som jobber med dette kontinuerlig, blir dyktige, og det er viktig for å bygge robusthet. Det gir også styrket konkurransekraft. Jeg synes fortsatt at et felles beredskapssenter er en kjempegod idé, sier Fagernes.

Comeback som stabsleder
Morvik har selv sittet ni år i styret i OFFB og har tidvis fungert som styreleder. Prosjektet for å få OFFB opp og gå ble startskuddet for en karriereretning innen beredskap for hennes del. I flere år ledet hun krise- og beredskapsarbeidet i daværende Wintershall og Wintershall Dea. Nå heter selskapet Harbour Energy og er fortsatt et sentralt OFFB-medlem.

Kort tid etter at Morvik hadde tatt tidligpensjonspakke forstod hun at hun ikke var helt ferdig med hverken jobb eller beredskap. Morvik henvendte seg derfor i all ydmykhet til daglig leder Ole Jacob Haug og spurte om det var noen muligheter for å få bidra i OFFB.

– Ganske fort fikk jeg en deltidsjobb som stabsleder. Det stortrives jeg med. Jeg gleder meg til jeg skal på jobb og blir glad av å være her sammen med masse dyktige og hyggelige mennesker, sier Morvik.

Som vi så for oss – og enda litt bedre
Samtlige fire «møteromsdamer» mener OFFB virkelig har levd opp til hensikt og intensjon, nemlig et unikt samarbeid på tvers av selskapene.

De trekker særlig frem opprettelsen av Kompetansesenteret med tilpasset opplæring for medlemmene, fagforum og HR-forum, samt hvordan medlemmene har felles nettverk og bedriver aktiv erfaringsutveksling.

Utseth, Fagenes, Nesbø og Morvik er glad for å ha vært vitne til at oljeselskapene har tatt beredskap på større alvor, både når det kommer til det operasjonelle og det strategiske.

– De har forstått hvor viktig det er, og OFFB gir selskapene den tryggheten på beredskap som vi håpet at det skulle gi. Vi synes det er både artig og imponerende å se hva slags arbeidsplass OFFB er blitt.  Kredibilitet og engasjement både blant myndigheter, universitetene og energibransjen generelt viser at OFFB er en betydelig aktør. Vi er rett og slett stolt av hva dette ble til.

– Det er jo litt gøy at vi fått satt spor her, sier de fire, mens de inspiserer hvert sitt møterom.

Yrjan Bamberg successfully completed his check-out exercise on April 29, 2025, earning a "pass" and officially joining the duty rotation as one of six 2nd-line Chiefs of Staff.

Bamberg began his role at OFFB on January 2, 2025, having previously served as a Project Manager at Canon Norway. Prior to that, he held various positions at Avarn Security Norway and Securitas Norway, and spent over six years in the Armed Forces, where he served as a sergeant in the electronic warfare division.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in digital forensics and, in addition to his role as Chief of Staff in the 2nd line, serves as OFFB’s Subject Matter Expert for ICT and Cyber Security. This responsibility also includes acting as a resource for OFFB’s member companies in these areas.

Comprehensive Training Programme

“All newly appointed Chiefs of Staff and Emergency Response Managers at OFFB undergo a thorough training programme. This includes an in-depth introduction to our operational plans, familiarization with the operators we support, current operations, and our systems — including CIM and best practices for incident management,” says Trond Gleditsch, Head of Training and Exercises at OFFB.

The training programme includes several functional training sessions, during which Bamberg completed the tasks outlined in various best practices.

He then participated in five exercises, initially shadowing experienced Chiefs of Staff to observe how they carried out their responsibilities. Afterward, the roles were reversed — Bamberg took the lead role, while the seasoned Chiefs of Staff acted as observers and mentors.

The final exam exercise was conducted with a full 2nd line duty team and a reinforced acting staff, including an experienced platform manager who presented Bamberg with a realistic incident scenario to manage.

No Shortcuts Taken

Throughout the entire exercise, Bamberg was closely observed and assessed by Head of Planning and Emergency Response, Ann Christin Auestad, and Managing Director Ole Jacob Haug.

A passing result is never guaranteed. If any aspect falls short, further training is required. In the emergency response room, the mission is to protect life and health, the environment, and significant material assets. That’s why we take no shortcuts and never compromise on quality or safety.

Emergency Preparedness Is a Discipline That Requires Maturity

“This time, the training period lasted a little over four months. We could have completed it in a shorter time. However, emergency response is a discipline that requires maturity. It’s important to allow enough time for reflection and to truly internalize what’s being learned,” says Gleditsch.

Bamberg agrees.

“Oil and gas is a completely new field for me, and there’s a lot to get familiar with — including a very specific terminology. I find it incredibly engaging.”

“In addition to the skilled colleagues I work with every day here at OFFB, I really value the dialogue with the offshore installation managers on the installations we’re actually on call for. The combination of training, exercises, education, and ongoing dialogue gives me a strong sense of readiness for managing real incidents when the duty phone rings,” says Yrjan.

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.