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.
The project is scheduled to be completed by February 1, 2025.
Else M. Tungland is the project manager for the documentation project about the Alexander L. Kielland accident at the Norwegian Petroleum Museum. She is a sociologist, author, and co-author of several books and articles about the Kielland accident. Her background includes experience as a project manager and researcher at Rogaland Research (Norce).
The Steering Committee consists of the following individuals:
Anders Helliksen: He survived the Alexander L. Kielland accident at the age of 20. He’s actively involved in supporting survivors and bereaved individuals and currently serves as the vice-chair of the Kielland network.
Björn Lindberg: A geologist and chief specialist at the Norwegian Petroleum Museum in Stavanger. He holds a PhD in seabed processes and geological education from Tromsø, Svalbard, and Erlangen in Germany. He previously worked for 14 years at Equinor as a geologist and was part of the chief geologist’s team. Lindberg also has experience in research, exploration on the Norwegian continental shelf, and allocations in predefined areas (TFO) in both Harstad and Stavanger.
Finn E. Krogh: A social scientist and director at the Norwegian Petroleum Museum since 1997. He also has experience as a consultant in the analysis of oil and gas projects at NPC Consult AS, as well as a project manager and later director at the Norwegian Wild Salmon Center.
Gro Merete Brækken: A civil engineer and organizational/business leader. She has been the managing director of Norsk i olje og gass, secretary-general of Redd Ulstein Barna, and deputy managing director at NHO. Brækken has held leadership positions at Den norske Bank, served as the managing director at Ulstein, and held numerous board positions in various companies.
Odd Kristian (Kian) Reme: Trained as a priest, he’s an author and politician affiliated with the Labour Party. He’s best known as a spokesperson for the bereaved after the Alexander L. Kielland accident and has been the leader of both the Kielland Fund and later the Kielland network. Reme lost his brother Rolf in the accident.
Tora Aasland: Dr. Philos, politician, and civil servant. She was a member of parliament from 1985 to 1993, Minister of Education and Research from 2007 to 2012, and county governor of Rogaland from 1993 to 2013. In 2022, she completed a doctorate on volunteerism in cooperation, and she is one of six women in Norway who have achieved a doctorate after the age of 75.
If you have any questions or input regarding the project, please contact project manager Else M. Tungland at else@norskolje.museum.no.