FPSO suffers fire damage while under construction in Norway

Norwegian energy company Equinor has confirmed that a fire broke out on a floating production storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) as it was undergoing construction at a shipyard in the western part of the country on Wednesday, August 10.

The incident on the Equinor-owned FPSO Johan Castberg prompted the evacuation of shipyard workers.

A spokesperson for the company said no injuries were reported and the ensuing minor damage was limited to only a small area on board the vessel. The affected area has since been closed off and construction of the vessel has resumed.

The spokesperson assured that the incident will not affect Johan Castberg‘s construction timeline.

The FPSO is slated for operation on the Johan Castberg oil field in the Barents Sea some 240 kilometres north-west of Hammerfest. Production at the field is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2024.