Aker BP continues to probe December rig fatality

Feb. 2 (UPI) -- A Norwegian oil and gas producer said in announcing its fourth quarter results it was still looking into what led to a fatal accident on a rig in December.

One person died in early December after falling in the sea while conducting maintenance work on the Maersk Interceptor rig, contracted by Aker BP to tap into the Tambar oil field in the North Sea. Another worker was injured in what the company said was a "serious accident."

In a statement on fourth quarter results, Aker BP CEO Karl Johnny Hersvik said the company was still looking at what happened.

"The investigation is still ongoing," he said. "The root causes of this tragic accident will be duly followed up, and learnings will be implemented and shared with the industry."

When christened in 2014, the Maersk Interceptor was the largest rig of its kind in Norway. The rig, built in 2013, is designed to operate in extremely harsh environments.

The Norwegian government in early January issued a corrective-action order for the Norwegian subsidiary of Maersk Drilling, calling on the company to examine how it used portable lifting equipment like hoists and cranes, and to identify any risks. Investigators from a Norwegian safety regulator were on the rig from Dec. 9-13 investigating the accident.

Aker BP announced plans in March to develop the Tambar field using the Maersk Interceptor, which had two wells planned for the fourth quarter. When announcing the $204 million investment, the company said it was a major milestone that would extend the life of the field to 2028.

Tambar has gross reserves of 27 million barrels of oil equivalent. Aker BP has approval to use the rig on the Ivar Aasen field in the North Sea.

Aker BP reported total production for the fourth quarter averaged 135.6 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, a 7 percent increase from the third quarter. It realized an average price of oil at $65 per barrel last quarter with a production cost per barrel of oil equivalent at $11.80.

It posted an operating profit of $1 billion and net profit of $275 million.