North Sea Barge

Barge in North Sea is drifting like a.......errrrr......Barge !
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35204070

More than 300 oil workers are being airlifted from the Norwegian sector of the North Sea after a large, unmanned barge ran adrift near platforms.

Several rigs were affected in the Valhall and Ekofisk oil fields.

The incident happened in poor weather. A man died when a wave hit another rig in the Troll field, also off Norway.

The Norwegian coast guard told the BBC that the wave must have been up to 60ft (18m) in height as it hit the rig's accommodation block.

Three people with injuries were airlifted ashore by Norwegian rescuers, but one later died. He was said to be a Norwegian in his fifties.

The China Oilfield Services' Innovator rig was hit at around 17:00 (16:00GMT) on Wednesday and almost 50 of its 106 staff were airlifted to safety.

The Norwegian sector is thought to contain 54% of the North Sea's oil reserves
In a statement, Statoil said a "heavy wave" had slammed into the installation, damaging the accommodation module. The rig was being towed to Bergen under its own steam.
Hours after the rig was hit, a barge in the Valhall field farther south broke its anchor in high winds and began drifting towards eight BP platforms, Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported.
The barge was 110m in length and 30m wide and there were fears that it could ram one of the rigs.
Helicopters began airlifting staff at 02:45 on Thursday, NRK said.
BP told the BBC that it was evacuating its eight-rig platform at Valhall and that 235 staff were on board. The company said it had been producing 50,000 barrels a day but Norwegian TV said production was being shut down.
ConocoPhilips also airlifted 145 workers from its Ekofisk oil field north of Valhall. Some were flown to other platforms in the area but the majority were taken ashore, according to reports.