A fire which broke out on the Scarabeo 5 drilling rig in the Norwegian Sea this evening has been brought under control, Statoil said.
The blaze was detected in one of the rig’s two engine rooms and crew had to report to muster stations.
A total of 106 workers were on board at the time of the incident.
Statoil said the flames had been put out, but not before 33 workers were evacuated from the rig by helicopter.
Fourteen were flown to a nearby installation and a further 19 were brought ashore to Kristiansund.
Statoil − which operates the Njord field, where the rig was located – said the remaining 73 workers would be able to stay on the rig.
The Ocean Response and Troms Sirius standby vessels are at the field and three helicopters ready to be mobilised if needed.