About the documentation project

Norwegian Petroleum Museum was given the responsibility to conduct a documentation project following the decision in Parliament on June 8, 2021, regarding the Alexander L. Kielland accident. The decision was made on the same day as the Office of the Auditor General presented a report about how the authorities dealt with the Alexander L. Kielland accident. The report was created in response to questions and requests from the Kielland network and others who wanted a new inquiry into the accident.

The Office of the Auditor General concluded that there was no base for a new inquiry and that the authorities had already conducted a thorough examination into the causes of the accident. However, they found some weaknesses in the investigation process that might have affected trust in the results. The responsibility for the accident wasn’t completely clarified, and the support provided to the bereaved and survivors wasn’t  enough. [REMOVE]Fotnote: See the report here; https://www.riksrevisjonen.no/en/reports2/en-2019-20202/investigation-of-the-authorities-work-on-the-alexander-l.-kielland-accident/.

Even though funds weren’t allocated for a new inquiry, the Parliament decided to allocate funds for a health study and a documentation project about the Alexander L. Kielland accident. It’s this latter project that the Norwegian Petroleum Museum was tasked to carry out. A total of 8.0 million kroner has been granted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion and the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy for the implementation of the documentation project.

Project manager was hired on February 1, 2022. The project also has a steering committee that helped clarify the project’s goals.

The project’s mandate is: 

• To gather documentation and knowledge about the Alexander L. Kielland accident to shed light on the matter and lay the groundwork for research projects, articles, exhibitions, books, cultural activities, and similar endeavors.
• To ensure that the relatives, survivors, and other affected individuals feel acknowledged, listened to, and taken seriously, and as much as possible, receive answers to their questions.

The Norwegian Petroleum Museum will use a documentation-focused approach and maintain independence in working with the sources and partners involved in the project.

Project Leader is Else M. Tungland, who assumed the role on February 1, 2022.

Steering Committee

A steering committee was established for the project, with the following members at its inception:

• Gro Brækken and Tora Aasland, external representatives.
• Odd Kristian (Kian) Reme and Anders Helliksen, Kielland Network.
• Björn Lindberg and Finn E. Krogh, NOM.

In the spring of 2024, Leif Harald Halvorsen (NOM) replaced Finn E. Krogh. Odd Kristian Reme passed away in the summer of 2024 and was replaced by Åse Kringlebotn in the fall of 2024.

The project is scheduled to conclude in February 2025.