Dermott O’Sullivan - One sad example
The following letter was o.c.r. scanned from an archive document found by the NSDA. Original spelling mistakes are included considering it was written with sincere intent using English as a second language.
If anyone knows how to contact Dermot O’Sullivan please get him to contact us so that he can be included in the Norwegian Governments Compensation plan.
From:
Norsk Olje- og Energimedarbeideres Fellesorganisasjon
Olav Kyrresgt. 1 – 5000 Bergen – TLF. (05) 23 15 25
To:
Rikstrygdeverket
2. yrkesskadekontor
Drammensveien 60
Oslo 2
Dated:
Bergen 22.3.80
Your ref. TB/1h
Sedco/Phillips SS and the Norwegian National Inshurace Scheeme.
We permit ourself to put this latter in English since copies will be sent to UK Dep. of Health and Social Security in Newcastle and to Dep. of Energy in London.
Since recieving your letter dated 21.12,79 which concluded that personel living abroad and working onboard foreign registered ships operating on the Norwegian Continental Shelf are not covered by our National Inshurance Scheeme, we have taken contact with the Dep. of Energy in Aberdeen and in London and also with the US Coast Guard in Rotterdam and Washington to clearify all matters regarding “industrial personal” onboard vessels such as the Sedco/Phillips SS.
It appears that neither Norway nor England takes any responsibility in cases such as when f.ex. British divers get injured or ill while on duty onboard a rig such as the Sedco/Phillips SS, This in spite the fact that these men pay tax equally to personel on fixed installations and drilling platforms who without exeption are covered by the inshurence scheeme. Since these men are in a difficult situation and we mean that a misunderstanding is present w.r.t. the classification of the Sedco/Phillips SS we can not wait until the Social Department has delt with this problem in general.
We have not yet recieved a complete answer from US authorities regarding the full picture of these mens position w.r.t. US legislation but a statement from US Coast Guard in Rotterdam seems to say that the Sedco/Phillips SS is not registered as a ship, but documented by the US Coast Guard as a “vessel of the United States” in the “oil exploytation” category similar to all other US mobile drilling units, which according to the text in the National Inshurance Scheeme information are covered by the scheeme. What the American Bureau-of Shipping classifies the platform as seems to be of minor interest since it is “not a US Government Agency”.
It is still our opinion that a mobile platform is a mobile platform whether it carries a derrick or not and as long as it operates on our Continental Shelf it should be delt with in accordance to its participation in our oil industry. People onboard this platform who in a number of years hex given their share in making Ekofisk to what it is for Norway today, risk to end up in a Norwegian hospital after an accident on the job and later being billed for the medical treatment, This in excess to the risk of being dismissed from their work due to the accident without any chance to appeal, and the sad fact that they will recieve no sickpay.
We will report one case that should illustrate the situation for our members onboard the S/P SS. A British diver, Mr. Dermot O’Sullivan who has been diving on Ekofisk since the S/P SS was brought out to the field in dec. 77 injured his back oct. 29 1980 He was brought in to Stavanger and attended there by dr. Karlsen at Mobil’s office. Dr. Karlsen gave O’Sullivan painkilling drugs and said, according to Mr. O’Sullivan, that he might as well be treated in a UK hospital and that he would recieve sickness benefits from Norway. A sickness report was given to Mr. O’Sullivan who handed this over to the Oceaneering office in Stavanger. Mr. Jan-Haugland who is in charge of this office says today that he can not recall recieving any sickness report, but he says, if this happened I would have sent it to the Oceaneering office in Aberdeen where Mr. O’Sullivan was employed. Oceaneering in Aberdeen says they will assist us in our effort to help Mr. O’Sullivan who they fired and took off the payroll soon after the accident.
We will however have no problem in getting hold of the accident report written on the rig oct. 29 80. Mr. O’Sullivan has spent quite some time in hospital in England and the enclosed copies of his letters to us should give a picture of his present situation.
As a Norwegian offshore union who has the responsibility for taking care of employees in the Norwegian oil industry regarding job security, social benefits labour environment standards. etc, we are frustrated and shamefull about the complete situation these men onboard the Sedco/Phillips SS are submitted. These are men who are doing the toughest job in Norway’s goldmine no.1 and who are paying tax of their earnigs to this country equally to other foreigners in the same industry on fixed installations and any mobile drilling platform regardless of nationality who are covered by our National Inshuranc Scheeme, When it now seems quite clear that the Sedco/Phillips SS is delt with identically to US mobile drilling platforms by the US Coast Guard, we hereby ask the Norwegian authorities to Include vessels such as the Sedco/Phillips SS to be covered by-our National Inshurance Scheeme, We also hope that UK authorities will get engaged in this problem since in this matter UK citicens are in an undoubtfull situation,
Due to the seriousness of this case we hope to recieve an answer as soon as possible
Yours very truly
Sigurd Malmin /s/
chairman
Jan Chr. Warlooe
Divers spokesman
Leif Stang
Union secretary