A Norwegian officer cadet is still missing, presumed dead, after falling overboard from the liquefied petroleum gas carrier Berge Danuta on 21 November.
Strong winds were blowing in the Bay of Biscay off northern Spain when the accident happened. The vessel was en route from Turkey to the Kårstø gas treatment plant north of Stavanger.
A search for the missing 23-year-old was carried out by ship and helicopter until the evening of 22 November.
“This is a tragic accident which has affected us deeply,” says Thor Inge Willumsen, senior vice president for oil trading and supply. “Our thoughts go first and foremost to the bereaved.”
According to safety vice president Geir Pettersen, Oslo-based vessel owner Bergesen and Statoil as charterer will supervise the investigation of the incident.
Statoil has Berge Danuta, which is designated a very large gas carrier, under long-term charter. The two-year-old vessel is registered in the Norwegian international ship’s registry.