Monkeys and mechanics only
Then came an occasion when people had been to lunch and were returning over the bridge to the Ekofisk tank. A rope hung there, and two operators were trying to reach up to get it down.
A big mechanic from Farsund in southern Norway said: “For God’s sake, that’s hardly a problem”. He got a grip on the rope and pulled.
But the operators had jokingly connected the rope to the handle on the fire hose. This opened, and the mechanic was naturally right in the firing line. He was completely soaked.
The operators almost died laughing. Afterwards, they hung up a sign which read: “For monkeys and mechanics only”.
Another time an operator had been properly hosed down. Ole, the fellow who had done it, was on the alert afterwards because he knew than revenge is sweet.
After several days had passed without anything happening, Ole began to relax. Then problems arose with the heater on the tank, and the process technician called on Ole for aid.
He left the control room and entered the manlift, which had an emergency stop controlled by a cord. The process technician stopped the lift between two floors, and Ole was hosed down thoroughly with no chance of escape.
“They were really childish escapades, but fun,” says Maggi Knutsen.
Related by Margaret Knutsen