Statoil: Unclear Whether Common Pattern to Spate of Offshore Incidents

Arne Sigve Nylund, Statoil (STO)'s head of development and production, told Reuters on the sidelines of an oil conference on Thursday:

** As yet unclear whether a recent series of incidents at oil installations off Norway could have could a common, underlying pattern and whether cost-cutting was a factor

** Nylund says: "We have had many incidents in one short period of time. We don't like that and we take it seriously. We cannot lean back and say that it is a statistical phenomenon

** "We are digging into those incidents. It is serious. We are investigating each and everyone. We are now looking to see, if in addition to the individual investigations, there is a common, underlying pattern that we need to dig deeper into."

** Asked whether Statoil had identified a pattern, Nylund said: "No, that is too early to say. We must finalise the investigation first and then we will look if there is a common pattern. We do not see this at the moment."

** Unions and the oil safety watchdog have asked Statoil to look into whether cost-cutting was a factor in those incidents. Nylund said: "At present I do not have evidence that there is a link" (to cost-cutting)

** In the course of two weeks, a Statoil offshore platform caught fire and another was shut after a gas leak. A drilling rig also struggled to contain a well, while five people were injured at an oil terminal and the country's biggest refinery was evacuated over a leak.

** Among the incidents, Statoil experienced a well control incident on Oct. 15 on the drilling rig Songa Endurance at the Troll field in the North Sea

** On Thursday, Nylund said Statoil was continuing to work on shutting down the well

** He says: "We have control over the well and have two barriers. We are working on a controlled, slow work with the well so that we can end this situation ... We need to take the time it needs."

(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche)