Dialogue is intended to contribute to openness and discussion on important safety aspects in the petroleum sector. We address some key issues in this area on the following pages. Finn Carlsen, the PSA’s director of professional competence, kicks off by urging companies to take advantage of the current retrenchment in the industry to assess alternatives and think along new lines – not least in the Barents Sea.
You can also read an interview with Karl Eirik Schjøtt-Pedersen, the new director general of the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association and an avowed optimist who believes passionately in the future of the industry – regardless of the present downturn.
Lack of infrastructure and long distances are among the challenges in the far north. We take a close look at the challenge posed for acute medical care by lengthy travel times – and how the specialists are thinking of overcoming it.
We also review the history of the survival suit on the NCS, a part of offshore emergency preparedness which has gone from voluntary to compulsory use and from a minimum solution to high-tech gear.
Finally, we join adventurer and Polar explorer Lars Ebbesen on a strenuous and dramatic journey to the North Pole. Perhaps some of his experiences from the Arctic wastes could benefit the petroleum sector?
