In the period June 2024 to June 2025, on several occasions, symptoms were recorded among employees after performing work activities in area L201 in connection with the Snøhvit future project at Hammerfest LNG.

After the last incident, on 13 June 2025, Equinor halted all activity in the L201 area.

Equinor itself prepared criteria for resumption of the work, but Havtil considered these criteria to be insufficient to document full prudence of activities.

Havtil therefore issued notification of an order to Equinor to ensure and document prudence of activities before resumption of work in area L201.

Order complied with

On 28 July 2025, Havtil received Equinor’s definitive response to the order.

We have conducted a thorough professional assessment of the information Equinor has sent us, and our assessment is that, as of 29 July 2025, we consider the order to ensure and document prudence of activities to have been complied with.

  • Read Equinor’s response to the order and our feedback to Equinor in the appendix at the bottom of this page.

The operator’s responsibility

It is Equinor, as the operator, which is responsible for the safety of Hammerfest LNG. It is also Equinor that makes the final decision to resume work in area L201.

The operator, on behalf of the licensees, has the overarching responsibility for ensuring that the activities are properly conducted at all stages. This responsibility includes managing risk and monitoring suppliers.

Havtil’s follow-up

Havtil undertakes close follow-up of Equinor and how it ensures the safety of Hammerfest LNG, and we devote considerable resources to this.

Havtil is currently performing two parallel investigations of incidents at Hammerfest LNG; one concerning a fall in April of this year, whereby an employee fell 4.4 metres from a formwork scaffold; the other concerning incidents of chemical exposure in 2024 and 2025.

The results of the investigations will be published once completed.