The licence for block 211/19 and 211/25 in British waters was awarded in 1970. Geologists already suspected the field existed and the area had been marked on seismic maps as of potential interest.

The “10 oil commandments” (or the Norwegian model) were a statement of the main principles for national oil policy presented by the standing committee chaired by the Labour Party’s Rolf Hellem on industry of the Storting (parliament) June 1971.

The Brent field was found in the British sector of the North Sea during June 1971, close to the boundary with the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

Statfjord was initially thought to be part of Britain’s Brent field. So the blocks in which it lies were initially known in popular Norwegian parlance as “Hjemmebrent” (a play on the word for moonshine liquor), “the Norwegian Brent blocks” or “Norwegian Brent”.

The declaration of principles for Norway’s petroleum operations – the “oil commandments” – specified that a state-owned oil company should be created to handle the state’s commercial interests.

Mobil Exploration Norway Inc (Meni) was founded on 2 August 1973 as a new subsidiary of Mobil Oil Corporation to explore for and produce oil on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

Development of the Brent field on the UK continental shelf had begun without any clarification of which companies were to secure the adjacent Norwegian blocks. Nor was it clear whether Brent extended into Norway’s North Sea sector.

Jay E Medley became the first chief executive of Mobil Exploration Norway Inc (Meni) in Stavanger, and took office on 1 September 1973.

The first well in the Statfjord area was spudded on 1 December 1973 from Waage Drill I.

Geologists from operator Mobil performed a veritable war dance of pure joy on the drill floor of Waage Drill I around a core which had just been retrieved from 2 700 metres beneath them.

Mobil had ordered the very first Condeep concrete platform from Norwegian Contractors (NC) for use on Britain’s Beryl field. Demand for offshore installations was very high at the time, so the US oil company had simultaneously secured an option for an additional structure to be used for a possible Beryl B.

Public debate on offshore projects in Norway was greater if Statoil was taking part than if the development involved only private-sector players.

The discovery in production licence 037 was declared commercial on 29 August 1974, when the licensees expressed their willingness to develop and produce the field. Both the declaration and the name of the discovery were published in the same press release.

Casting the gravity base structure (GBS) for the Statfjord A platform began in October 1974. From then until 1976, four of these massive concrete deepwater (Condeep) units were under construction in the Gands Fjord off Stavanger.

A permanent supply base was required to develop and operate Statfjord, with storage space and quays for shipping out everything from construction components, pipe and drilling fluid to provisions for the offshore workforce.

Mobil wrote to the Ministry of Industry on 24 September 1974 to propose a two-stage development of Statfjord. The goal was to get started with the A production platform and then win experience from the field before phase II was initiated.

Slipforming the concrete gravity base structure (GBS) for Statfjord A begin in 1974. This structure was one of four large GBSs built in the Gands Fjord off Stavanger from 1974 to 1976.

The terms of the licence meant that Statoil became responsible for all information to the general public about Statfjord on behalf of the licensees.

In a letter dated 4 November 1974, the Ministry of Industry accepted the principle of a phased development for Statfjord. But it also requested detailed plans for the first stage.

The Aker fabrication group had secured a contract from Mobil in August 1974 to build and outfit the topside for Statfjord A.

Norwegian Contractors (NC) had secured a lease from the City of Stavanger to use the Hinnavågen site and mooring points in the Gands Fjord.

The Storting (parliament) voted on 9 June 1975 that Statoil should retain its 50 per cent holding in the Norwegian share of Statfjord. If no commercial discovery had been made, the state company had an option to withdraw from the licence without cost.

The licensees for the British and Norwegian sides of Statfjord held an informal meeting in December 1974 to discuss unitisation – an agreement on joint development and production of the field – and to determine its division between the two countries.

Brown & Root was a multinational contractor owned by Halliburton Company, with its head office in Houston and branches in many parts of the world. In addition to a number of contracting subsidiaries, it owned companies whose only job was to secure cheap labour for hire.

While work on the formal approval for Statfjord B continued, operator Mobil initiated its preparations for building this platform.

A transport study for oil from Statfjord was completed by Statoil in November 1975.

Work on building and outfitting the concrete gravity base structure (GBS) for Statfjord A was completed in the Gands Fjord during the early summer of 1976. Preparations then began to tow the colossus to Digernessundet near Stord further up the coast, where it was to be mated with the topside under construction at Aker’s Stord Verft yard.

The debate in the Storting (parliament) on developing Statfjord and landing its production took place on 13-16 June 1976. In order to secure a decision which allowed Statfjord B orders to be placed, the Storting’s summer recess was delayed.

Establishing the Statfjord Unit brought together the Norwegian and British licensees of the whole field.

Despite many challenges, the Statfjord A module support frame (MSF) was eventually completed at Aker’s Stord Verft yard. This work had taken place in its dry dock, but the structure was ready to be mated with the concrete gravity base structure (GBS) on 30 July 1976.

Work on slipforming and outfitting the concrete gravity base structure (GBS) for Statfjord A was completed in the Gands Fjord outside Stavanger in the early summer of 1976.

The Statfjord Unit Operating Committee (SUOC) – the highest authority for the unitised field – unanimously approved plans for building the Statfjord B platform at its meeting of 31 August 1976.

Company unions were basically an American phenomenon, which has traditionally been regarded in Norway as a divisive and egotistical way of organising workers. They are an integrated part of their company, a collaboration body between management and workforce.

Cracks in the concrete gravity base structure (GBS) for Statfjord A were discovered in 1976 during maximum submersion as part of the operation to mate with the topside. This damage had arisen as a result of excessive temperature fluctuations and a weak section in the concrete, and took two months to repair.

The Statfjord East satellite was found by the Dyvi Alpha rig in the autumn of 1976.

The Statfjord Unit Operating Committee (SUOC) approved a final choice of concept for the B platform in late August 1976. Only then could the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) conduct its own safety analysis.

When the Storting (parliament) considered the field development plan for Statfjord, a letter from the licensees dated 3 June 1976 had reported a significant increase in the estimated cost.

Only weeks after cracks had been discovered in the concrete gravity base structure (GBS) for Statfjord A and the platform took in water, it listed once again while lying in Digernessundet.

The Statfjord North satellite was discovered in January-February 1977 by the Deep Sea Saga rig.

Brownaker ble opprettet som et joint venture mellom det amerikanske entreprenørselskapet Brown & Root og norske Aker. Det innebar at selskapene kontrollerte foretaket sammen og de skjøt inn like store midler og de delte kostnadene og fortjenesten likt mellom seg. Avtalen var ikke tenkt som et varig samarbeid, men var inngått for det unike prosjekt ferdigstillelse av Statfjord A.

At the crack of dawn on Tuesday 3 May 1977, 290 000 tonnes of steel and concrete began to move in Digernessundet outside Stord. The tow-out of Statfjord A began just before 07.00. The 216-metre-tall structure glided slowly down the Bømla Fjord at a speed of 0.5 to one knot.

Touchdown! At exactly 15.23 on Sunday 8 May 1977, Statfjord A made contact with the seabed for the first time, 10 metres from its predetermined position. Norwegian Contractors (NC) had been responsible for building the GBS, the tow-out, placing the colossus safely on the seabed and securing it.

Statfjord A was placed firmly on the field in the summer of 1977, when 31 large modules had to be lifted onto the topside before the autumn storms started. For that job, a crane ship was needed.

The Statfjord Unit Operating Committee (SUOC), the decision-making body for the field, approved plans on 5 August 1977 for Statfjord B as a platform able to process 180 000 barrels per day. It was resolved on 29 November to apply to the NPD for permission to build such a structure. The application, accompanied by a separate safety study, was submitted on 1 December.

From the platform’s installation on the field until the summer of 1978, the number of workers on Statfjord A rose steadily. At peak, almost 2 700 people were employed on the platform. The tour pattern meant that 1 200 of these were offshore at any one time. More workers created a need for additional berths.

Towing an unnamed vessel out to sea is said to bring bad luck. But the first Statfjord platform defied that maritime superstition. Oddbjørg Kloster, wife of chief shop steward Aksel Kloster at Stord Verft, acted as the lady sponsor when Statfjord A was named out on the field on 22 November 1977.

A new design for Statfjord B was approved by the Norwegian authorities after the original concept had been rejected on safety grounds.

An advisory committee was established by royal decree of 28 October 1977 to comment on work permit applications for foreigners – both groups and individuals – with jobs on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

The first labour dispute with workers on Statfjord involved working time and the tour cycle. Thirty-eight Norwegian electricians threatened to strike for better tour arrangements and refused to go offshore to work on Statfjord A.

Polytrader was a motor tanker specially tailored to take aboard oil from the loading buoys on Statfjord. Its owner, the Einar Rasmussen shipping company, secured the first two charters awarded by Statoil as operator for KS Statfjord Transport AS & Co.

US crane barge Atlas was originally supposed to lift the 32 big modules onto Statfjord A. When the lifting programme began in June, however, it turned out that this vessel was unsuited to North Sea conditions.

The fire alarms sounded constantly on Statfjord A during the hook-up stage, and in virtually every shift. False alarms were sometimes caused by hot work, but small blazes also broke out several times a month – generally started by sparks from welding or flame cutting.

Norwegian Contractors (NC) secured a contract worth NOK 850 million to build the concrete gravity base structure (GBS) for Statfjord B.

The headline in the Stavanger Aftenblad daily on 10 April 1978 read: “Brownaker wins Statfjord A”, and the story continued: “Brownaker Offshore A/S in Stavanger has now formally taken over the contract for completion of the Statfjord A platform from US company Brown & Root”.

Additional berths were required during the commissioning of Statfjord A, and the Polymariner flotel arrived on 18 April 1978 to replace temporary accommodation on the platform.

A working environment committee (AMU) for Mobil employees was established on Statfjord A, as required under Norway’s Working Environment Act, in early June 1978.

The Norwegian Oil and Gas Employees Association (NOGMF) had made it clear during pay talks that it was ready to call its members out on strike from 9 June 1978..

A Sikorsky S-61 N helicopter came down on 26 June 1978 about 55 nautical miles west of the Sogne Fjord while flying from Bergen’s Flesland airport to Statfjord A. Eighteen people died.

Completing Statfjord A in 1978 was a jigsaw puzzle, and working on it proved demanding. New modules were constantly having to be put in place, and planning was inadequate. Equipment already installed frequently had to be demounted and then reassembled.

Completing Statfjord A in 1978 was a jigsaw puzzle, and working on it proved demanding. New modules were constantly having to be put in place, and planning was inadequate. Equipment already installed frequently had to be demounted and then reassembled. The workers were frustrated.

The Statfjord licensees entered collectively into a transport agreement with the same division of interests as the 12 partners had in the unitised field. A decision of 9 August 1978 created a limited partnership under the name K/S Statfjord Transport AS & Co to handle oil transport in chartered shuttle tankers.

The loading buoy for Statfjord A was towed out and moored on the field in August 1978, following its launch at the Kværner Brug Egersund yard south of Stavanger that May.

The labour force on Statfjord A came from several countries. While the platform was being completed out on the field, 25 per cent of the workers were non-Norwegians. At least 26 nations were represented.

Construction of Statfjord A was well under way and a second platform – Statfjord B – was to be built. The Statfjord Unit Operating Committee (SUOC) had opted for a four-shaft Condeep concrete gravity base structure (GBS) with a steel topside.

The Aker group had lost the contract to fabricate the steel topside for Statfjord B, but was still a contender for other work on the platform. Mechanical outfitting in the shafts of the concrete gravity base structure (GBS) was the next large job to be awarded.

Rodents and other animals are neither normal not welcome residents on offshore platforms. In November 1978, however, a mouse was spotted in the control room on Statfjord A.

Production drilling began on Statfjord A on 30 November 1978. Four wells were completed initially and had to be tested before output started.

During January 1979, it was the turn of drilling workers employed by Loffland Brothers and Morco Norge to take strike action. Health risks were the issue, reflecting the attention paid in the 1977 Working Environment Act to work with chemicals.

Dickson Mabon, minister of state at the UK Department of Energy, accused Norway of unfair favouritism towards Norwegian companies at the expense of British competitors on Statfjord. He was also extremely critical of Norway’s strong commitment to concrete platforms, which he claimed would boost development costs for the field by “billions of kroner”.

The Norwegian Oil and Gas Employees Association (NOGMF) made its mark again in February 1979, once again on behalf of catering personnel. Inequitable taxation of personnel employed on the Polymariner and Nortrym flotels compared with those on Statfjord A provided the casus belli.

Ready in March 1979, the Statfjord unit transport evaluation report was based on the studies conducted by Statoil and Mobil on pipeline transport and offshore loading respectively.

SOn 18 December 1978, the Storting (parliament) considered the recommendation from its standing committee on industry concerning Statoil’s activities in 1979, the company’s annual report for 1977 and its report on operations for the first half of 1978. This debate proved dramatic.

The loading buoy for Statfjord B was to be built by the Aker group at its Tangen Verft and Vindholmen yards. Both had experience in platform building, with Vindholmen constructing the Beryl A topside for Mobil and both yards delivering modules to Phillips and Mobil.

Catering employees on the Ekofisk field operated by Phillips Petroleum in the Norwegian North Sea gave notice on 19 May 1979 of their intention to strike.

The bottom section of the GBS was towed out of the dry dock on 11 June 1979 and moored in the Gands Fjord off Stavanger while preparations were made to slipform the cells. This tow-out was a critical phase. The section had to be pulled out of the inner dock for 100 metres, before being turned 23 degrees and then towed out of the opening.

Statfjord A was honoured in 1979 with its own stamp, which immediately became a huge success. To celebrate World Post Day, the Norwegian Post Office issued a set of three postage stamps on 5 October under the heading “Norwegian Engineering Capabilities”. The Statfjord platform, with its loading buoy and a shuttle tanker in the background, was chosen to adorn the NOK 10 version.

A treaty on joint exploitation and transport of petroleum from the Statfjord reservoirs – known in oil industry jargon as unitisation – was signed in Oslo on 16 October 1979.

The joint elected officials and safety representatives for the Statfjord Workers Union (SaF) resigned their positions on 20 October 1979. They were protesting that Mobil was spinning out negotiations over working conditions.

An important milestone in the history of Statfjord and of Norway was reached on Saturday 24 November 1979, when four wells on the A platform were brought on stream. They produced 6-10 000 barrels of oil in the first day. The volume was thereafter gradually increased.

Union-management disputes on Statfjord moved on to the sick pay scheme during November 1979. Catering personnel on the A platform threatened to strike from the day production was due to start unless agreement was reached on how this arrangement was to be implemented in practice.

An important milestone in the history of Statfjord and of Norway was reached on Saturday 24 November 1979, when four wells on the A platform were brought on stream.

Harald R Inman took over as chief executive for Mobil Exploration Norway Inc in December 1979, in place of E J Medley.

Oil from Statfjord A could not be left in the platform’s storage tanks. It had to be exported by shuttle tanker to refineries in various parts of Europe.

A labour dispute from the Statfjord field was heard in the Bergen City Court at the end of 1979. It concerned a 33-year-old cook who had lost his job in SAS Catering.

Broadly speaking, the offshore workforce was organised in 13 unions and two national federations – the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) and the Norwegian Confederation of Vocational Unions (YS).

Slipforming of the cells on the concrete gravity base structure (GBS) for the Statfjord B platform started at the same time as the school summer holidays. This was important in order to recruit students and thereby obtain sufficient labour. The job was well paid, and it was not difficult to get workers. People had to be turned away.

Odd H Hellesøy was appointed Mobil’s research manager for the working environment in January 1979, and initiated a project on the working environment, health and safety on Statfjord.
The government, the employees and their families all openly recognised a lack of reliable knowledge about the likely outcome of spending long periods in a working environment which seemed so technologically complex and possibly dangerous.

According to the licence terms, the earliest date when a transfer of the Statfjord operatorship could take place was 7 August 1984. That was 10 years after the field had been declared commercial.

Gas brought up along with the oil on Statfjord A began to be injected back into the field in June 1980, while work continued on a landing solution for this resource.

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.

A number of options were studied before the licensees decided on 22 January 1980 that Statfjord C should be an integrated production, drilling and quarters (PDQ) platform.

Offshore loading from Statfjord had been underway for eight months when Polytraveller suffered an explosive fire on 21 August 1980. A break in the mooring line between the Statfjord A loading buoy and the shuttle tanker was the indirect cause. The master and first officer were both seriously injured, and the former died two weeks later from his injuries.

Norwegian Contractors (NC) began work on building the concrete gravity base structure (GBS) for Statfjord C on 10 November 1980, before the contract had officially been signed. The sheet pile retaining wall was re-established to be ready by 1 December, and notifications issued to shipping in the Gands Fjord. NC took the chance of starting up on its own account in order to provide work for personnel it wanted to retain.

Mobil Exploration Norway Inc (Meni) established a government relations office in Oslo on 1 January 1981.

The level of discontent on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) was high when pay talks began in the spring of 1981. In theory, the Norwegian Operator Companies Employers Association (Noaf) was responsible for coordinating the negotiations on the employer side. But the reality was that the three foreign operators – Mobil, Elf and Phillips – all pursued their own talks with the Federation of Offshore Workers Trade Unions (OFS).

Statoil proposed in the late 1970s that gas from Statfjord should be brought ashore at Kårstø north of Stavanger – the first genuine plan for a pipeline landfall in Norway. A year later, rival Norwegian oil company Norsk Hydro proposed that the gas should be landed at the Mongstad refinery site north of Bergen. The respective communities rallied to these two plans – the county of Rogaland supporting Kårstø and the neighbouring Hordaland county backing Mongstad. But Statoil ultimately won.

The weather in Stavanger on 17 June 1981 was misty and overcast, but the sun shone over the smooth sea at Vats further north. Early that morning, 60 guests had arrived there by sea for the naming of Statfjord B.

A Dutch crew member on Lay Barge 200 (LB200) died when a lifeboat he was working on came free from its davits and fell 25 metres into the sea on 5 July 1981. There were no witnesses to the accident.

Statfjord B began its journey out to the field from the mating site at Vats north of Stavanger early on 1 August 1981. The world’s biggest tow to date moved silently through the darkness and rain clouds. The voyage began an hour ahead of schedule because the mooring chains were cut more quickly than expected.

Statfjord B was the most complete platform installed at that time on any North Sea field. When it was positioned offshore on 1 August 1981, almost 96 per cent of the construction work was done. The remaining jobs primarily involved commissioning of production equipment and some instrumentation.

Additional accommodation capacity had to be provided during commissioning and start-up of Statfjord B. This was accomplished by chartering a flotel ­– or floating hotel – and stationing it alongside the platform.

The column for the Statfjord B loading buoy was launched in Hamburg on Friday 30 April 1981, with Gloria Inman as lady sponsor. She was the wife of Harald Inman, chief executive of Mobil Exploration Norway Inc.

It is not every day that Norway gets a visit from an American president, but 4 May 1982 was one such occasion. That was when Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn took a trip out to Statfjord A, which was operated at the time by Mobil Exploration Norway Inc (Meni).

The Norwegian Employers Confederation (NAF) proposed during pay talks in 1982 that offshore workers should have their income divided into two components – basic pay and an offshore supplement of 47 per cent. That would make their high income simpler both to understand and defend.

Michael “Mike” Smith succeeded as Harold R Inman as chief executive of Mobil Exploration Norway Inc (Meni) on 1 July 1982. Born on 9 January 1936 in the UK, he was an American citizen.

The gas sales contract between the Norwegian Statfjord licensees and a consortium of buyers in continental Europe for Statfjord, block 34/10 (subsequently Gullfaks) and Heimdal was signed on 1 September 1982.

Oil production from the Statfjord B platform began at 00.12 on 5 November 1982 ­– 26 days ahead of schedule. The storage cells began to fill just over an hour later. The flare was lit as a visible sign that output had started.

An open labour conflict broke out on Statfjord in 1983, when catering contractor Norske Chalk issued redundancy notices with one month’s notice to about 120 employees. This move was prompted by the expiry of its contracts on platforms further south on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

Statoil’s reaction was clear when the Mellbye commission presented its report on reorganising state participation in Norway’s petroleum industry. This was not a case of clipping the company’s wings, but of amputating them.

Harald N Ynnesdal was the first Norwegian to be appointed as a platform manager on Statfjord. He started work in this post on the B installation on 1 November 1983.

A search and rescue (SAR) helicopter has been stationed permanently on Statfjord B since 1983 as part of the emergency response organisation.

A historic political compromise in April 1984 led to a settlement which has been characterised as “clipping the wings” of state oil company Statoil.

The huge steel topside for Statfjord C was to be mated with the 176-metre-tall concrete gravity base structure (GBS) at Vats on the deep Yrkje Fjord north of Stavanger.

The loading buoy for Statfjord C was installed on 1 May 1984 and was used until 2005 to transfer crude oil from a subsea flowline to shuttle tankers.

The Statfjord development was virtually over in 1984, and this was to be celebrated with the naming of the C platform by Crown Princess Sonja as the proud lady sponsor. Construction of this facility had gone entirely according to plan, without delays, cost overruns or accidents. But the ceremony was dogged with mishaps.

The Polycrown flotel owned by KS Rasmussen Offshore A/S was chartered by the Statfjord licensees as a flotel for the A platform. Its luxurious outfitting earning it the nickname of the “North Sea Hilton”.

Eight large tugs with a combined output of 110 000 horsepower were needed to move Statfjord C securely from Vats near Stavanger to the North Sea field, where it was installed north of the A and B platforms.

A number of drug raids were staged by the Norwegian police on the country’s offshore installations, including Statfjord.

The Statfjord Workplace was the overall title of a working environment survey conducted on the field by the Research Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (FAHS) at the University of Bergen. It was a follow-up to an earlier study conducted in 1980.

A pipeline system was needed to transport gas from Statfjord to continental Europe. The Statpipe network comprises 880 kilometres of pipelines which run from Statfjord to Kårstø north of Stavanger and on via Ekofisk to Germany, with Statoil as operator.

A pipeline system was needed to transport gas from Statfjord to continental Europe. The Statpipe network comprises 880 kilometres of pipelines which run from Statfjord to Kårstø north of Stavanger and on via Ekofisk to Germany, with Statoil as operator.

Mobil chartered the Normand Draupne and Normand Mjolne standby ships from the Solstad shipping company on behalf of the Statfjord licensees.

The Storting voted on 14 December 1984 that Statoil should take over the Statfjord operatorship from Mobil.

Petroleum and energy minister Kåre Kristiansen undertook the official inauguration of production on the Statfjord C platform six months ahead of schedule.

Statpipe ranked when it was installed as the world’s longest and deepest gas pipeline.

A special miniature sheet of four stamps was issued by the Norwegian postal service on 4 October 1985 to celebrate World Post Day.

An event occurred at the beginning of 1986 which more than any other has changed social life on Statfjord, as it did on all the other platforms on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). Distributing TV transmissions by satellite finally became legal in the North Sea.

Cracks had been discovered in the supporting column on the Statfjord A loading buoy. Rather than making repairs, it was decided to replace the structure with a new solution developed by Ugland Engineering AS at Grimstad in southern Norway.

Evacuation through a net escape chute is widely known today. All Norwegian offshore installations have such a solution, along with a number of tall buildings. But this solution was new and exciting in 1986.

The steep drop in oil prices during 1986 came as a shock.

The pay bargaining round in 1986 concerned a biennial main agreement and became extremely dramatic. It took place against the backdrop of a slump in oil prices during 1985-86 which frightened the petroleum industry and made a number of Norwegian fields less economic.

Things went wrong just before Christmas 1986 when Mobil tested a new evacuation solution which created a gondola cableway from Statfjord B to a standby ship. A NOK 20 million project was scrapped when the gondola fell into sea during these trials.

Statoil took over the operatorship of Statfjord from Mobil Exploration Norway Inc on 1 January 1987. That meant acquiring 1 780 employees from the US company’s Statfjord division.

Statfjord’s production for a single day peaked in January 1987 at 850 204 barrels of oil.

An uncontrolled blowout on Statfjord A occurred on 5 June 1987, when gas flowed out on the drill floor and created a nerve-tingling Whitsun weekend for everyone on the platform.

At a time when oil prices were low, the modernisation of Statoil’s Mongstad refinery north of Bergen was found to be costing NOK 12 billion.

Arve Johnsen’s successor as chief executive of Statoil was Harald Norvik, who served as state secretary (junior minister) in the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy from 1979-81. He had later worked for Astrup og Aubert and been a vice president of the Aker group.

Wind turbulence had created problems for helicopter traffic to and from Statfjord B ever since it had been installed. In anything stronger than a fresh breeze from certain quarters, flights could neither land nor take off from the platform.

24. november 1989 var det ti år siden Statfjordfeltet startet produksjonen. Det ble behørig feiret.

Damage to the loading buoy for Statfjord B was discovered in the autumn of 1988. Cracks identified in the tube which ran through the universal joint on the seabed could not be repaired without taking the structure ashore.

Unemployment was high in Norway during 1990, and oil prices low. But offshore workers still had high expectations of the year’s collective bargaining round. After two years of a legally enforced pay freeze, they wanted something back for the moderation they had shown in previous settlements.

The search and rescue (SAR) helicopter stationed on Statfjord B was lost on the coast of Sogn og Fjordane county during 3 October 1990. A couple of hours earlier, the joint rescue coordination centre for southern Norway had requested Statoil’s assistance to look for a missing seaweed trawler near Askvoll in the Sogn area.

The search and rescue (SAR) helicopter stationed on Statfjord B was lost on the coast of Sogn og Fjordane county during 3 October 1990. A couple of hours earlier, the joint rescue coordination centre for southern Norway had requested Statoil’s assistance to look for a missing seaweed trawler near Askvoll in the Sogn area.

The bridging agreement was entered into by the British and Norwegian licensees in 1991, and covered the use of installations by other fields which had been tied back to Statfjord for processing and export.

Evita , a shuttle tanker belonging to Norway’s Ugland shipping company, collided with the Statfjord C loading buoy on 17 January 1992.

A total of 5 630 barrels (900 cubic metres) of crude oil were spilt to the sea on 9 July 1992 during loading from the Statfjord B platform.

The A platform on the Snorre field north of Statfjord was built and installed with a view to being tied back to Statfjord A for final processing and export.

Almost 300 workers were evacuated from Statfjord A when a major gas leak occurred in one of the platform’s shafts during June 1993. The position was extremely hazardous, and all production on Statfjord and Snorre ceased

Two workers on Statfjord C died when a lifeboat was released from its hooks and fell 30 metres into the sea during November 1992. The men were doing maintenance work in the boat when the accident happened.

Two workers on Statfjord C died when a lifeboat was released from its hooks and fell 30 metres into the sea during November 1993. The men were doing maintenance work in the boat when the accident happened.

A change to the division of interests in Statfjord between Norway and the UK – known as a redetermination – came into force on 1 July 1994.

The Statfjord East satellite was developed with subsea templates installed in 150-190 metres of water and tied back to the C platform.

When Statfjord East and North were approaching the start to production, it was clear that processing capacity on Statfjord C was far too small to handle output from these satellites as well. Statfjord East was due to be ready to produce on 1 October 1994. The day before, on 30 September, a change agreement was adopted for the bridging accord.

Production began from the Statfjord North satellite on 23 January 1995. Located in 250-290 metres of water, it had been developed with three subsea templates tied back to Statfjord C.

The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) shot a number of the scenes in its Offshore soap opera on Statfjord C during the spring of 1996.

All production from Statfjord C was crippled for almost two days when a fire broke out in a module beneath the drill floor.

All oil and gas production on Statfjord B and C was shut down when the Federation of Offshore Workers Trade Unions (OFS) took its members out on strike. This stoppage was not a response to conditions offshore, but had been called in sympathy with a strike then being pursued by the union on land.

All oil and gas production on Statfjord B and C was shut down when the Federation of Offshore Workers Trade Unions (OFS) took its members out on strike. This stoppage was not a response to conditions offshore, but had been called in sympathy with a strike then being pursued by the union on land.

The 33/9-19 S and 33/9-19 A wells drilled from 29 June to 23 July 1996 on the Sygna structure by Transocean Wildcat discovered oil in middle Jurassic sandstones.

Norway’s Smoking Act (Tobacco Control Act) came into force on 1 January 1996, sparking a row about the working environment on Statfjord C. While the new Act prohibited smoking indoors at workplaces or in canteens, smokers on Statfjord demanded a continued right to light up

Statoil’s operations were hit again when the Federation of Offshore Workers Trade Unions (OFS) called a strike on five rigs, including the Polycrown flotel serving Statfjord A.

Statoil joined forces with the Rasmussen shipping group in Kristiansand to establish Navion as an independent company on 1 October 1997. The core business was offshore loading of oil with specially equipped shuttle tankers, but its activities also embraced a broad range of oil services in the maritime offshore sector and petroleum transport.

The Polycrown flotel had been moored alongside Statfjord A since 1982, but was sold by Statoil to Prosafe in November 1999. Its name was changed at the same time to Safe Scandinavia.

The division of petroleum resources in the Statfjord area between Norway and Britain was subject to continuous assessment from the time production began until the late 1990s. Substantial resources were devoted to this time-consuming process.

Statoil’s own employees reported the company to the police after it took disciplinary action against four oil workers on Statfjord B who got into a mailbox they should not have accessed in the internal computer system.

Shuttle tanker Evita from Norway’s Ugland shipping company began loading the 5 000th cargo from Statfjord on 28 March 1999.

The north flank of Statfjord was brought into production on 1 August 1999, after operator Statoil had chartered the Transocean Leader rig to drill and complete the required subsea wells.

Olav Fjell took over as the third chief executive of Statoil on 24 September 1999 in succession to Harald Norvik.

Some 100 catering staff on Statfjord downed tools on 9 November 1999 in protest at the refusal of Statoil to guarantee their jobs should a change of contractor occur. Only safety personnel on the platforms were served hot food while this strike was under way. The rest had to be content with crispbread, butter and a little cheese for dinner and supper.

Norway’s Saga Petroleum oil company was acquired in 1999 by Norsk Hydro and Statoil, with the former securing the operations team and incorporating this in its oil and energy division.

Statfjord C was hit by a hepatitis A outbreak affecting nine workers. Extra medical personnel were sent to field and all 230 people on the platform were treated with immunity-boosting gamma globulin.

The Sygna satellite began production on 1 August 2000. Its subsea installation was tied back by a multiphase pipeline to Statfjord C for oil processing, stabilisation, storage and export.

Gullfaks is located in block 34/10 in the Norwegian North Sea sector. Discovered in 1978 by Statoil as operator, this oil field became the first wholly Norwegian development project. The chosen development solution involved three platforms – Gullfaks A, B and C – supported by Condeep concrete gravity base structures (GBSs). Production, primarily oil, began from the main field in 1986. Three satellites were later tied back to Gullfaks – Gullfaks South, Rimfaks and Gullveig. These held large volumes of gas.

Proposals to part-privatise Statoil prompted a four-hour political strike by more than 300 employees on 9 April 2001, affecting much of the operations on Statfjord, Gullfaks and Veslefrikk.

Statoil secured listings on the Oslo Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange on 18 June 2001.

Statoil initiated its Tampen 2020 project in the autumn of 2002. The goal was to optimise production from all the fields operated by the company in the Tampen area and to reduce their operating costs.

The ownership of the Statpipe gas transport system and the Kårstø processing plant north of Stavanger changed at 1 January 2003 through the creation of Gassled. This joint venture was formed by merging most of the pipeline consortia on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). Together with the associated commercial changes, this restructuring represents one of the most extensive reforms of Norway’s gas sector.

Helge Lund took over as chief executive of Statoil in succession to Olav Fjell on 1 August 2004.

The Statfjord C loading buoy was taken out of operation in 2005 and preserved with a view to final removal in 2012, and export of oil from the platform was reorganised.

The management of Statoil’s exploration and production Norway (EPN) business area decided in 2002 that something had to be done to improve safety on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

An incident on Statfjord C was described by the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) as yet another case on a Statoil-operated platform where only luck prevented the loss of human life.

An incident on Statfjord C was described by the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) as yet another case on a Statoil-operated platform where only luck prevented the loss of human life.

Statoil submitted a revised plan for development and operation (PDO) of the field on 25 February. This Statfjord late life project was costed at NOK 16.1 billion overall.

When Statfjord’s late-life project kicked off, Statoil took the opportunity to cut operating costs in order to achieve continued growth and extend the producing life of the mature field.

A merger between Statoil and Hydro’s oil and energy division was announced on 18 December 2006, and the new StatoilHydro company became a reality on 1 October 2007. The boards of Statoil and Norsk Hydro had recommended the tie-up to their shareholders, with strong backing from the Labour government under Jens Stoltenberg. The state was the largest shareholder in both companies, and the Storting (parliament) voted in favour of the plan on 8 June 2007.

The extension of production from Statfjord through the late life project created a need to enter into new sales agreements for gas from the field. Since the 20-year sales contract with a European consortium for Norway’s share of the Statfjord gas expired in 2005, the Norwegian licensees were free to choose future buyers. The British needed more gas, not least after the Anglo-Norwegian Frigg field had ceased production, and Statoil reached a sales deal with BP in 2002. This called for gas deliveries to begin on 1 October 2005, with supplies from Statfjord as part of the package.

A break in the hose on the Statfjord A loading system while pumping oil into the Navion Britannia shuttle tanker on 12 December 2007 caused 27 500 barrels of crude to escape to the sea. Ranked as the second-largest oil spill in Norwegian history, it created a slick measuring one by eight kilometres.

Safety considerations prompted a decision to pump 7 500 barrels of oily water into the sea from Statfjord A on 24 May 2008 following an incident when replacing a pipe in the platform’s utility shaft.

The subsea production installations on the Statfjord North satellite had to be shut down in order to repair equipment related to the water injection wells.

A new operating model was adopted for the exploration and production Norway (EPN) business area as part of efforts to integrate activities after the Statoil-Hydro merger. Aimed at achieving greater safety, improved regularity and enhanced efficiency, this change was based on existing operating practice at both companies.

A new Super Puma EC 225 all-weather search and rescue (Awsar) helicopter was stationed on Statfjord B in 2009 to provide emergency cover for fields in the Tampen area of the North Sea.

StatoilHydro reverted on 1 November 2009 to the Statoil name