Production from the 30,000 barrel-per-day Veslefrikk offshore oil platform has resumed after a second shutdown due to lifeboat problems in less than three weeks. The Statoil ASA oil company said the platform was restarted late Sunday, as was the 8,000 barrel-per-day Huldra platform, which is controlled from Veslefrikk. "We expect to reach full production today," company spokesman Harald Schjelderup said by telephone on Monday. The North Sea platform was shut down on June 21 for three days when defects were found in one type of lifeboat, and was closed again on July 6 because of problems with a second type of lifeboat. Crews depend on lifeboats for escape in an emergency, such as an explosion or fire, since the platforms are often 100 kilometers (60 miles) or more from land, The Associated Press reported.
