KIELLAND-NETTVERKET

Welcome to the support group Kielland-Network!

We are the board, representing the survivors and the bereaved after the Alexander L. Kielland disaster on March 27th, 1980. It remains Norway’s largest industrial disaster in peacetime, where 123 oil workers were killed and 89 barely survived, scarred for life. Between 300 and 400 children lost their father that day.

The Kielland disaster remains, to this day, our great national trauma.

After nearly 46 years, we have finally secured a parliamentary decision for state compensation to the victims — that is, the survivors and the bereaved.

We are now in a critical phase of our work to determine the amount and timing of the compensation payments. This requires intensive efforts with members of Parliament, and therefore frequent meetings in Oslo.

The board of the Kielland-Network support group, from left:

Gudny Hansen, Anders Helliksen (chairman),

Åse Kringlebotn, Roy Erling Furre, Jorunn Birkeland

and Merete Haslund. Photo: Private.

Without a single krone in state operating support, we are entirely dependent on contributions from our members and others who wish to help us — whether private individuals, trade unions, companies, or municipalities.

Here’s how you can support us; thank you so much in advance:

Vipps to 595202 or transfer to bank account: 3201 19 79679

(enter your name and email address as the payment reference)

Detailed bankinformation here.

We are happy to acknowledge support beyond membership here on our website, if desired.

Alexander Kielland disaster March 27 1980

On March 27, 1980, the oil platform “Alexander L. Kielland” capsized. This was the largest industrial accident in Norwegian history, 123 people died, of whom 30 were never found and 89 survived with physical and/or mental injuries. Several hundred children lost their father.

Facts about the Alexander L. Kielland accident:

123 died 89 survived.

Alexander L. The Kielland platform sank at a depth of 700 meters in the Nedstrandsfjorden on November 18, 1983.

The Kielland disaster occurred on March 27, 1980, on the Ekofisk field in the North Sea. One of the rig's five legs fell off, and after only 20 minutes the platform was upside down in rough seas. 123 people lost their lives and 89 survivors were marked for life. 30 of the dead were never found.

The cause of the accident, according to the investigation commission, was a fatigue fracture in a support strut in the platform's load-bearing structure. This caused one of the five pillars (platform legs) with a pontoon (floating element) that supported the platform to break off. After about 20 minutes, the platform capsized.

After several attempts to turn the rig, it was turned over in September 1983, and six of the then 36 missing people were found aboard the rig after it was stabilized on September 12.

The composition and work of the Commission of Inquiry have subsequently been heavily criticized. Several, including the Office of the Auditor General, believe it is reprehensible that the authorities involved Det Norske Veritas in both the investigation work and the operation to turn the rig around, as they were a party to the case – and because their independence could thus be questioned.

In addition, criticism has been raised from various circles against the commission's lack of analysis of how various factors and conditions interacted during the course of events. Among other things, this criticism concerns the lack of assessment of stability after water ingress through open doors and hatches that should have been closed, and the significance this had in causing the rig to capsize after only 20 minutes.

CLAIM FOR STATE COMPENSATION

ABOUT US

Bylaws

THE KIELLAND-NETWORK!

The Kielland Network is the support group for survivors and bereaved of the Kielland disaster in 1980, working for the best possible health and quality of life for the Kielland victims. We also seek government compensation and answers to unknown circumstances surrounding the incident and responsibility.

THE BOARD

* Anders Helliksen, chairman and suvivor
* Merete Haslund, deputy chairman - lost her father
* Gudny Hansen, lost her father at Kielland
* Jorunn Birkeland, trade union NITO
* Roy Erling Furre, trade union SAFE
* Åse Kringlebotn, responsible for member relation

NEWS

PRESS RELEASE

7th of October 2026

Finance Minister Inaccurate on Kielland Compensation

During this afternoon’s press conference on the national budget, Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg stated that “a separate compensation scheme has existed” for the bereaved families and survivors of the Alexander Kielland disaster. That is not correct.

The Kielland Network, which represents the bereaved families and survivors, wishes to clarify the minister’s incorrect statement and issue the following response regarding the national budget.

There has never been a specific government compensation scheme established for the bereaved families and survivors of the Alexander Kielland disaster. What the Norwegian Parliament has requested is precisely that the Government put forward a proposal for such a scheme.

“We have noted with disappointment that the Government has chosen to disregard two majority resolutions passed by Parliament. The most recent of these dates back to the debate on the Speech from the Throne almost exactly one year ago. At that time, all parties except the Labour Party requested that the Government present a proposal for a compensation scheme for the bereaved families and survivors of the Alexander Kielland disaster by March of this year. The Government has failed to follow up on that request,” says Anders Helliksen, Chairman of the Kielland Network.

“Given the attitude the Government and the Labour Party have shown towards our case, and the lack of respect the Government has demonstrated for majority resolutions passed by Parliament, it comes as no surprise that they have once again failed to include anything in the 2027 national budget. It is simply sad and disrespectful. For our members, this entire process represents a significant additional burden, and what makes it especially tragic is that we have lost a double-digit number of widows and survivors since Parliament finally decided in June last year that we should receive compensation,” says Anders Helliksen.

“We must now place our trust in the parties in Parliament that support us. Our hope is that they will unite to bring this matter to a conclusion by approving compensation of 65 times the National Insurance basic amount (65 G), just as the North Sea divers eventually received after a long struggle. There is no reaseon why a Kielland life should be worth

any less than an occupational injury. It has been established, among others by the Office of the Auditor General of Norway, that the authorities must bear their share of responsibility both for allowing the country’s worst industrial disaster to occur and for the extent of its consequences.”

“Parliament has also unanimously apologized for the failings the authorities committed towards the survivors and the bereaved families of the Kielland disaster. We are now well past the point where action should have been taken, and someone must assume responsibility for taking care of those who sacrificed their lives and health for Norway’s oil wealth. What we are asking for amounts to around 0.3 percent of the oil revenue spending the Government is proposing for next year,” says Anders Helliksen.