Oil Workers Dumps Faulty North Sea Lifeboats

Workers on two North Sea oil rigs of Statoil have been listened to after they called out a lifeboat manufacturer for providing unsafe equipment. Workers on the Kristin and Veslefrikk platforms have witnessed damaged lifeboats in free-fall tests off the platforms. They reported crushed roofs and cracks in the enclosed boats. The manufacturer of the lifeboats is Umoe Schat-Harding of Norway. The issue has affected oil production from the platforms, and Statoil has complied with workers’ requests and pulled six lifeboats off rigs until Umoe Schat-Harding makes modifications.