STOCKHOLM (Sputnik) — A hundred-meter barge, drifting uncontrolled in the North Sea since Wednesday evening, has passed the Valhall oilfield platforms without incident, BP's spokesman Scott Dean told Sputnik Thursday.
"We can confirm that the barge has passed the Valhall platform safely and not contacted [with] it," Dean said.
The Eide Barge 33, owned by the Norwegian Eide Marine Services shipping company, became detached from a tugboat on Wednesday evening during rough weather. The ferry started moving toward Valfall oilfield, threatening the safety of the employees located there and the structure itself.
A total of 235 people have been evacuated from BP's platforms in the oil field.
The Valhall field produces about 50,000 barrels of oil per day. The oilfield is located in the southern Norwegian North Sea.
