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Åsgard A set to go

February 5, 1999, 08:00 CET

The Åsgard A oil production ship will be setting off for the Statoil-operated field as soon as the weather in the area moderates.

Due to sail under its own steam, the vessel should arrive on the Halten Bank in the Norwegian Sea during the first half of February.

Accompanying the voyage are two tugs and two anchorhandling ships, which will assist the A vessel when it starts hooking up to the Åsgard field installations.

The production ship recently completed sea trials in the Kloster Fjord near Bergen, but storm warnings persuaded the crew to wait for better conditions before setting sail.

"We've been able to test most of the systems on board, and are now really looking forward to getting out, hooking up and starting to produce," says platform manager Svein Fredrik Fredriksen.

The concluding marine trials in the fjord have been carried out over the past few days, before the crew began making ready to depart. This final phase concentrated on positioning, manoeuvring and emergency systems.

Some 300 people have been on the vessel during the trials, but only about 115 personnel will be needed during the production phase. The ship is due to come on stream during the first quarter.