The Ekofisk Field

The history of the Ekofisk field is full of events where things are happening for the first time in Norwegian petroleum activities.

The continental shelf is declared Norwegian

07/08/1964

Norway could start negotiations with the other North Sea countries on the final dividing line of the entire North Sea shelf.

First licensing round

01/01/1965

Hand-colored map of the licenses awarded in the first licensing round on the Norwegian continental shelf in 1965.

The first rigs

01/07/1966

Ocean Viking, Ocean Traveler and Trans World 61 at Stavanger on the way to the Ekofisk field. Photo: Donald J. Stevens/Norwegian Peroleum Museum

The Ekofisk name

01/01/1970

How did really Ekofisk get it's name?

Official opening of the oil terminal in Teesside

21/10/1975

Teesside

Alexander L. Kielland

27/03/1980

Only the bottom of the pontoons appear after Alexander L. Kielland capsized. The Edda platform in the background.

The Ekofisk March

01/06/1985

The first Ekofisk March took place in 1985.

The Bravo blow-out

22/04/1977

On Friday, April 22, 1977, at ten o'clock in the evening, "Leave the Platform" sounded the alarm on Ekofisk 2/4 B. An uncontrolled blowout of oil and gas was underway in well B-14. Large quantities of oil and gas sprayed 5-6 meters up in the air before it went straight into the sea. What was not to happen had happened.

Production starts at Gulftide

09/06/1971

Official opening of Norwegian oil production on June 9, 1971, and start of production on June 15, 1971.

The Ekofisk tank is installed.

01/07/1973

The Ekofisktank reached the field on July 1, 1973. The immersion took place by water being gradually pumped into the tanks, until it was at the bottom.

Protecting the Ekofisk Tank

01/03/1989

Each half of the protective wall weighed 150,000 tons each. The tow was 310 nautical miles long.

Ekofisk II

31/07/1998

Ekofisk 2/4 J started oil exports on August 18, 1998, as part of the Ekofisk II project

New hotel platform

01/08/2013

Ekofisk 2/4 L is lifted into place. The new residential and field center platform 2/4 L replaces two older installations from the 1970s.