Harbour Energy (LON:HBR) has had over 50 personnel evacuated from a rig operating in the J-area after it was hit by a nearby supply vessel.
Personnel were airlifted from the Valaris 120 around 149 miles (240km) south-east of Aberdeen.
Harbour Energy said that, as a precaution, 52 “non-essential” workers were removed from the installation after the collision at around 10.18pm on Sunday.
Valaris 120 is a jackup rig and was previously known as Valaris JU-120, which was subject to a collapse of one of its cranes.
The staff were flown to Aberdeen on three separate flights on Monday morning after a supply vessel crashed into one of the rig’s legs.
Around 128 personnel were onboard the Valaris 120 before the evacuation. The installation is currently deployed alongside the Judy offshore platform.
A spokesperson for Harbour Energy said: “People are our priority, and everyone onboard the rig and the vessel is safe and well.
“Our incident response teams have been mobilised and are in liaison with the relevant authorities.
“Further information will be made available when details are confirmed.”
Harbour is the UK North Sea’s largest independent oil and gas producers – and J-Area was its largest producer in 2023.
It struck a deal in September with Bermuda-based Valaris (NYSE:VAL) to extend the rig contract on the field for a further three years.
Valaris was created in 2019 through a merger of rival rig contractors Ensco and Rowan, forming the largest firm of its kind globally by fleet size.
More to follow.
Recommended for you
