Gullfaks A Platforms Slash Production

Norway's Gullfaks A and other linked oil platforms in the North Sea were cutting production to about 60,000 bpd on Wednesday from a usual 260,000 bpd due to a storm, state oil firm Statoil said. Heavy seas were preventing tankers from loading at offshore buoys at Gullfaks A and storage tanks in the legs of the platform were almost full. "We hope to be able to load tomorrow," Statoil spokeswoman Else Kathrine Nesmoen said. "If not, weather should improve on Friday and allow loadings." She said that other North Sea fields dependent on tanker loadings, including Statfjord and other Gullfaks installations, were producing as normal and should be able to pump at least until Friday despite problems with tanker loadings. Further north, seas were calmer and fields including Aasgard and Norne were unaffected by any disruption to loadings. – (Reuters)