Statoil and union representatives in Norsk Hydro have agreed on the terms and conditions for the around 600 employees who will join Statoil when the group takes over operatorship of the Snorre, Visund, Tordis and Vigdis fields in the Tampen area.
The handover will take effect on 1 January 2003.
âWe need both the skills and continuity these employees will bring, and we promise to make them feel welcome when they join Statoil,â reports Svein G Larsen, who is in charge of the groupâs project for the handover.
When Statoil acquires operatorship of the four fields, the group will be the sole operator in the Tampen area of the North Sea. Employees who operate the fields will be important in the work of optimising operations in the area, adds Mr Larsen.
Included in the transfer are those who work in operations, maintenance and administration of two platforms on Snorre and one on Visund as well as the subsea installations on Tordis and Vigdis. Statoilâs operations organisation for Snorre, Tordis and Vigdis will be based in Stavanger, while Bergen will continue to be the home for the Visund operations team.
The agreement for the change in operator dates back to 1999, when Hydro acquired the Saga oil company in which Statoil had a 20 per cent stake.