The eruption from Icelandic volcano Grimsvotn is affecting air traffic through the Norwegian area of the Barents Sea. Photo: Icelandic Met Office/Matthew J. Roberts
Norwegian airport operator Avinor refers to the zone between the mainland and Svalbard as “a temporary hazard area” on its website and has grounded all air traffic through the area.
In Russia, a spokesperson for the meteorological agency at the Murmansk airport said the agency is monitoring the ash cloud while flights continue to operate.
The spokesperson said all Russian air traffic decisions are made in Moscow. As of yet, there is no call for any flight cancellations.
Currently, Russian pilots find no change in flying conditions, the spokesperson said, although they noted the ash is moving northward to Svalbard.
Helicopters used to transport Statoil employees between Hammerfest airport and oil rigs in the Barents Sea have been grounded. Those that fly between the Grane oil field in the North Sea will remain at the Stavanger airport until flying conditions improve. All helicopter traffic from Bergen is also cancelled, according to the Statoil.
Statoil spokesperson Per Arne Solend addressed concerns that the transportation problems would affect oil extraction.
- Production is not affected currently, he said.
It is too early to how long oil rig crews can stay at sea before production would be affected Solend said.
- It is unfortunate for our personnel on board who were supposed to rotate [shifts], he added, but at present, employees are still at work producing oil.
Last year’s Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption grounded flights for several days without affecting oil production Solend said.
