AROUND 40 employees of an Aberdeen-based oil and gas drilling company were last night still stuck on a rig off the coast of northern Russia.
But there are hopes that at least some will be able to get ashore today.
The Northern Offshore UK workers have been stranded on the jack-up Energy Exerter in the Pechora Sea for more than a week due to immigration red tape.
Gary McHattie, the rig’s offshore installation manager, said yesterday: “We are working hard to get the crew changed over as soon as possible. The men on the rig have made it clear that they fully understand the situation.
“We would all prefer to be heading home and we understand that people are frustrated by the fact that we have been unable to change the crew yet but things are progressing.”
A spokesman for Northern said later that it expects to start the crew change today.
A boat is due to reach the rig this morning from the Russian port of Naryan-Mar. She is carrying fresh workers who will begin replacing the stranded crew.
One of the workers stuck on the Energy Exerter rang the Press and Journal on Monday to report their plight.
However, Northern said yesterday that, contrary to the worker’s claim, the rig’s crew was not on strike, although management had halted operations until the crew change happened.
The company added: “Essential maintenance, catering and domestic services are continuing to operate normally.”
Driller and crew member David Coonie said: “The crew met the offshore managers and supervisors this morning and everyone recognises that Northern is doing all it can to resolve the issue.
“Delays in getting onshore are not uncommon in this industry and I expect most of us have been fogged in at some time or another.
“The current situation is not ideal, but everyone on board is being well looked after and morale is good.
“The only reason we are not drilling just now is that the company is looking after our welfare.”
The workers had joined the rig in Denmark before it sailed north in mid-June for a five-month operation for Russian operator Gazflot.
A crew change was originally due last Tuesday but never happened and the fresh workforce had been stuck in Murmansk in the extreme north-west of Russia.
Russian immigration had delayed a chartered aircraft from swapping the crews.