Ship Collision Closes Norwegian Gas Plant (Update)
(Update, as plants resume operations)
A collision between the frigate Helge Ingstad and the tanker TS Sola off the Sture terminal near Bergen in western Norway led to the closure of the Vestprosess pipeline and Kollsnes gas processing plant, plant operator Gassco said November 8.
This incident meant reduced gas deliveries to continental Europe. Gassco said it was working to minimise the consequences for companies exporting Norwegian gas and European recipients.
Its website however indicated just prior to midday local time that 90mn m3/d of flows into/at its Kollsnes plant would be unavailable for [at least] 12 hours starting from the incident at 07.50 local time, November 8. About seven hours after the incident, another notice said that Vesprosess and Kollsnes were ramping up.
Gassco, the operator of Norway's gas export infrastructure including Kollsnes, was alerted to the incident at 07.53 local time.