Norway’s new Arctic oil field nears production

Heavy equipment: The Johan Castberg production vessel docked in Stord, Norway. The vessel will tap Norway’s newest oil field in the Barents Sea. — Bloomberg

OSLO: The vessel that will tap Norway’s newest oil field is now undergoing final checks before setting sail for the Barents Sea, the latest stage of the country’s push to extract more resources from the Arctic.

The startup of the the Johan Castberg production vessel later this year “opens up a new oil province in the Barents Sea, and this field can become a hub for new discoveries,” Equinor ASA chief executive officer Anders Opedal said, speaking to dockyard workers last Tuesday at the coastal village of Stord, Norway.