Accidental Discharge in Barents Sea

Hydraulic oil was accidentally spilled today, April 12th, from the Eirik Raude rig, which is drilling the Guovca exploration well for Statoil in the Norwegian sector of the Barents Sea.

Totaling 1.6 cubic meters, this spill was probably caused by a leak from a hydraulic hose.

"We take a very serious view of the incident," says Tim Dodson, Statoil's exploration vice president for the Norwegian continental shelf.

"The authorities have been notified, and the hydraulic system concerned has been shut down until further notice."

The Guovca well was spudded on April 2nd.