Oil Workers Test Positive for Virus

One Equinor worker and one Shell worker have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Equinor employee is at the Martin Linge field in the North Sea. The person is not seriously ill, Equinor has confirmed.

“Equinor is in dialogue with the Norwegian health authorities about further measures,” Equinor said in a company statement.

“The infected person has been in isolation in his cabin since March 9. Measures to prevent further contamination for offshore installations has been introduced. It has not been decided when the person will be brought ashore,” Equinor added.

The person arrived at the field just before noon on March 9 and had recently been to Austria, Equinor revealed. When Austria was listed as a high-risk destination, the person was quarantined on board and a test was conducted, according to Equinor.

Tests have been conducted on two further persons at the field who also visited high risk destinations, Equinor outlined. The results of these tests are not yet available.

Martin Linge is currently under construction and is planned to start production at the end of 2020. There are currently 776 people offshore, spread across three installations, working on the project.

In a separate case, a member of Shell’s staff from Aberdeen has also tested positive for the virus.

“Shell’s priority is the safety and health of our people and the safe operations of all our businesses. We continue to monitor the situation closely and follow the advice of the relevant UK authorities,” a Shell spokesperson told Rigzone.

“Currently, all Shell UK offices are open and we have a robust cleaning program which is proportionate to the current risk level,” the spokesperson added.

“However, we have business continuity plans in place to ensure the sustainability of our supply chain and our ability to meet the needs of our customers and partners if the situation develops further,” the spokesperson continued.

As of March 10, there have been 113,702 confirmed cases of the virus globally, with 4,012 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com