Workers on a North Sea oil platform airlifted off after a weekend safety scare are due to return this afternoon.
More than 100 of the staff were airlifted off the Snorre A platform, in the Norwegian North Sea, to the Gullfaks A and Gullfaks C platforms.
The alert happened after drill fluid began leaking from the well, 5400 feet below ground – conditions which in the worst case could lead to a blowout.
The fluid is pumped into the well to compensate for the pressure change caused by oil and gas being pumped out.
Stormy weather conditions in the North Sea over the weekend prevented operator Statoil sending new fluid over by boat, leading to the decision to move staff off the platform.
The Norwegian oil giant insisted, however, the move was a precautionary one.
“While it was possible to quickly reduce the loss of drill fluid to the reservoir, adverse weather conditions created some uncertainty as to when a vessel might get out to the platform with a new supply of drill fluid,” the company said in a statement.
“As a purely preventive measure, 117 out of a total 254 platform personnel were transferred to Gullfaks A and Gullfaks C.
“Favourable weather conditions have allowed unloading and new supply of drilling fluid has arrived on board.
“The personnel who were transferred to Gullfaks will return to Snorre A before lunch today.”
The Snorre A platform has been producing for more than 20 years, with oil and gas piped from the platform to be processed at Statfjord A. Oil is loaded onto tankers, while the gas is sent across Europe – including to the St Fergus terminal in Scotland.
Last week drilling work on the Bredford Dolphin rig was halted after the riser under the deck of the rig suffered a breach.
