Latest news with #KiellandNetwork
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Kielland families welcome Norway rig deaths compensation
Families of British workers killed in an oil rig disaster 45 years ago have welcomed the Norwegian government's decision to pay them than 120 people died, including 22 Brits, when the Alexander Kielland floating platform capsized in the Norwegian North Sea oil fields on 27 March relatives were in Oslo to see the Norwegian parliament, the Storting, agree by a narrow margin to pay compensation to survivors and the families of the Fleming, whose father was one of those killed, said the agreement was long overdue recognition of the Norwegian state's failings. Ms Fleming, from Durham, previously said there were unanswered questions about the disaster, which killed her father Michael and five of his compatriots from the Cumbrian village of Cleator compensation motion had been opposed by the government but passed through the Storting by 53 votes to 51. Ms Fleming, who was six when her 37-year-old dad died, said: "It's only right the Norwegian government have eventually done the right thing and agreed to pay a tiny amount of their wealth to the people that unwillingly and unwittingly sacrificed their lives."This feels likes a weight has been lifted of our shoulders."She praised the Kielland Network, a campaign group set up by survivors and families of the deceased to call for justice."People have given years of their lives to this cause and we are very grateful for the work that has been done," Ms Fleming said. Among the 40 members of the Kielland Network who attended the vote in central Oslo, there was a great deal of sadness that the group's founder, Kian Reme, was not there with Reme, whose brother Rolf was killed in the disaster, died in 2024 from cancer."He was the reason we got this far," Ms Fleming said, adding: "He was a man with strength of fight but also full of peace and forgiveness."He'd be so happy if he were here, but I'm sure he's up there proudly looking down at what everyone has continued to achieve." Tara Pender, who lives near Nottingham, was with Ms Fleming in Oslo to see the vote Pender, who was 13 when her 41-year-old father PJ Pender was killed, also paid tribute to Mr Reme."It's such a shame Kian is not here," she said, adding: "He was amazing and worked tirelessly on this for so many years."She said the result was "very bittersweet" as many relatives and survivors had died before they got the recognition of failings from the Norwegian government they had craved."It's just been such a long time coming," Ms Pender said she had spoken to several other British families of the deceased in the aftermath of the vote and they were "all delighted". The four-year-old platform was being used as accommodation for the nearby Edda rig in the Ekofisk oil field about 200 miles (320km) off the coast from Stavanger, Norway, when one of its legs broke off during a storm.A 1981 Norwegian inquiry attributed the disaster to a crack in one of the braces caused during its construction in France, but the manufacturers said it had not been maintained or anchored properly by its people received compensation at the time from the company which ran the oil rig, Phillips Petroleum, but campaigners said the Norwegian state should also accept responsibility. A University of Stavanger study published in 2025 said families and the 89 survivors were let down by official investigations, while a 2021 review by the Norwegian auditor general found "highly reprehensible" failures to hold any of the companies involved in the disaster to account, or to support families and Norwegian government apologised and funded the study to assess the impact on those government has opposed the compensation proposal put forward by a coalition of opposition parties but it passed by two votes, with further details now to be determined. Follow BBC North East on X and Facebook and BBC Cumbria on X and Facebook and both on Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Families to receive compensation from Norwegian state after oil rig tragedy
FAMILIES who lost loved ones in an oil rig disaster 45 years ago will finally be compensated by the Norwegian state. The Alexander Kielland platform capsized in the North Sea, off the coast of Norway, on March 27, 1980, killing 123 men, including five men from Cleator Moor. A compensation motion was passed by 53 votes to 51 in the Norwegian Parliament today (June 5). The Kielland Network – a group of survivors and bereaved family members – have been calling for a renewed investigation into the disaster. Members of the campaign group were among those to attend The Storting in Oslo to hear the debate. The Alexander Kielland memorial in Cleator Moor Square (Image: Newsquest) Colin Lamb, of Plumbland, near Aspatria, lost his dad, Colin, 44, in the disaster. He said he was 'over the moon' to find out the motion had been passed after receiving WhatsApp messages from members of the Kielland Network who were in attendance. He said: 'It's the best news I've ever had. It's taken 45 years for this to happen. It was a very close majority. 'It's my dad and he's gone but I feel it's what we should have had. 45 years is a long time. It's just great news.' Colin Lamb, 44, died in the Alexander Kielland disaster (Image: Family handout) Alan Hunter, of Distington who also lost his dad, Keith in the disaster, said: 'I'm still soaking it all in. It's been a long time coming. It's a result for all of our dads. 'This should have been sorted out years ago. We shouldn't have to go through all this now at our age. 'We still want to see what the Norwegian have to say. Any money they throw at us, it doesn't matter. We want to know what they are going to come with. Are we going to get an apology?' Keith Hunter, 34, was killed in The Alexander Kielland disaster (Image: Family handout)Michael Eldon, who represents Cleator Moor West on Cumberland Council, said: 'This is a big step. This is just the start of admitting that what happened could have been avoided.' A report published earlier this year by The University of Stavanger found a 'number of serious omissions' in the Norwegian authorities' handling of the disaster. The study concluded that the authorities prioritised protecting the reputation of the oil industry over fully exploring the causes of the disaster.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Rig families to get compensation from Norway
Survivors and families of those killed in an oil rig disaster 45 years ago will finally get compensation from the Norwegian state after a close vote passed in the country's than 120 people died, including 22 Brits, when the Alexander Kielland floating platform capsized in the North Sea oil fields on 27 March parties in the Norwegian house, the Storting, who filed the compensation motion, said the disaster was still an "open wound" for the country which needed those attending the debate in Oslo were Brits Laura Fleming and Tara Pender, whose fathers died. Ms Fleming, from Durham, previously said there were unanswered questions about the disaster, which killed her father Michael and five of his compatriots from the Cumbrian village of Cleator motion had been opposed by the government but passed through the Storting by 53 votes to 51, after 11 MPs engaged in a nearly hour-long debate watched by about 40 members of the Kielland Network campaign group. Exchanging tearful hugs with other members of the network, Ms Fleming said she was "ecstatic"."It is easy to get lost in the whole battle of everything and to forget what you are fighting for, but really it's for justice and acknowledgement of what happened," Ms Fleming said the compensation was not about the money, but rather the "principle" that after 45 years of being "ignored and neglected", the majority of the Norwegian parliament was now saying "yes, we should have done better by you".Ms Pender, from near Nottingham, was 13 when her father PJ Pender died and wore a necklace containing a piece of the rig when she went to the Storting Building in central said she was "overwhelmed" with emotion and "a bit shocked". The four-year-old platform was being used as an accommodation platform for the nearby Edda rig in the Ekofisk oil field about 200 miles (320km) off the coast from Stavanger, Norway, when one of its legs broke off during a storm.A 1981 Norwegian inquiry attributed the disaster to a crack in one of the braces caused during its construction in France, but the manufacturers said it had not been maintained or anchored properly by its people received compensation at the time from the company which ran the oil rig, Phillips Petroleum, but campaigners said the Norwegian state should also accept responsibility.A University of Stavanger study published in 2025 said families and the 89 survivors were let down by official investigations, while a 2021 review by the Norwegian auditor general found "highly reprehensible" failures to hold any of the companies involved in the disaster to account, or to support families and Norwegian government apologised and funded the study to assess the impact on those affected. Merete Haslund, a leader of the Kielland Network, was 13 when her engineer father was killed on his first trip to the said the campaign group began in 2016 to get the "whole truth", which they were still fighting for, and financial recompense for the survivors and families from the Norwegian Haslund said the compensation would "mean a lot to people", adding: "Very many people have been suffering not just mentally but also economically." Ingrid Fiskaa, the foreign policy spokesperson for the Socialist Left Party and an MP for the Rogaland county which contains Stavanger, was one those putting forward the Fiskaa, who was three years old when the disaster occurred, said it affected a lot of people in her region and was "still an open wound"."What we are really hoping for is today will start the work to close that wound," she told the BBC. She told the story of one of her constituents, a 70-year-old man who survived but suffered horrific injuries to his mouth and teeth which had seen him rack up large dental debts."The most important thing for him is that the state never has taken responsibility," Ms Fiskaa said, adding previous governments had "had a really hard time admitting the state has done this wrong". Mimir Kristjansson, an MP for the Red Party representing Rogaland, said the vote was a "historic day" and the compensation was 45 years Kristjansson, whose speech sparked a round of applause from the Kielland Network members watching from the Storting's public gallery, said the disaster was an "open wound in the national memory of the oil industry"."Oil has made Norway a very, very rich country but it has also cost a lot of lives," he told the BBC. Mr Kristjansson said a lot of people lost friends and family in the disaster and the Norwegian state had a "terrible track record of not taking care of the people we send out in very dangerous conditions to work at sea for us".The compensation was "not just about the money" but represented a "way for the state to take responsibility" for its mistakes, he Kristjansson said there was a "great feeling of injustice" and the state had made "billions" while "gambling with the lives of a lot of ordinary working people". Tonje Brenna, the Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion of Norway, said it was for the employers to pay compensation at the time, not the said the 2021 review found there was "no basis for conducting a new investigation" as the authorities had done a "thorough job of clarifying the causes of the accident", although "certain weaknesses may have contributed to weakening confidence in the investigation".Ms Brenna said the Storting had "adopted a statement of regret for the inadequate follow-up [families of the deceased] and survivors experienced after the accident" and other work to probe the impact had been said there was therefore "no basis for drawing other conclusions or implementing further measures".But the win by just two votes means the Norwegian government will now have to determine a compensation settlement. Follow BBC North East on X and Facebook and BBC Cumbria on X and Facebook and both on Nextdoor and Instagram.
