Wives visit Statfjord A

Norwegian Petroleum Museum

The Statfjord Workers Union (SaF) succeeded, after long negotiations with Mobil, in securing agreement for visits to the platform by the wives of employees. Coming in the wake of a heavy media focus on accidents in the North Sea, the idea was that the visitors would take a one-day outing to see where their spouses worked.

— Facsimile from MOBIL EXPLORER: A NEWSPAPER FOR MOBIL EXPLORATION AND PRODUCING PEOPLE IN NORWAY. DES 1980 VOL. 4

That would give them an understanding of offshore working and living conditions, and what a helicopter flight was like. One goal was to reduce the worries of people left at home.

These visits were conducted during the summer for a number of years, and were a great success. Mobil hired a helicopter to fly 14-15 spouses out to Statfjord for the first time in July 1980.

Sources:
Mobil Explorer , December 1980, pp 6-7. “Meni ektefeller: Bestemmelsessted Statfjord A”.
Mobil Explorer , anniversary issue after 10 years in Norway. Stavanger 1983, p 14.
Bjarne Holter’s website with images from Statfjord