“I think security is well taken care of in the Arctic. There is always a risk of accidents, but we’re ready. We can run safe and secure drilling operations. Slip-ups are just as dangerous in the North Sea,” Mr Lieungh tells Aftenbladet.

“Environmental organisations’ choice of things they use to argue with is too simplistic. I don’t buy the picture of a sweet polar bear."

Learnt many lessons

Mr Lieungh thinks that the oil industry has learnt many lessons from the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico, which was a revelation for many.

“It could have happened to anyone. It’s wrong to believe it could not have happened here. We should be humble about it. People make mistakes, and it was people not the equipment that failed at Macondo.”

The Deepsea Atlantic drilling rig in the North Sea is an example of the type of rig Odfjell want to back. The rig type is built for tough conditions, or so-called harsh environment.

“We have chosen harsh environment and deep water.”

Mr Lieungh believes many use the term harsh environment, but it is more than just about technology and equipment. This makes it important to select people with the right skills that are suitable for drilling in challenging areas in the High North.

“Harsh environment is about much more than just using the term, it’s dealing with it too. It’s often not the equipment that fails but the people who can’t withstand it. It’s not just a matter of flying someone young in from Bergen and expecting them to be able to deal with the darkness and the cold. This is what the most vulnerable is,” he concludes.

More on the Arctic:

• See how quickly the ice is melting in the Arctic
• Environmentalists take action against icebreaker  

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