Norwegian safety regulators have informed oil company StatoilHydro that its chosen method for the emergency evacuation of platform crews via free-fall lifeboats is fatally flawed and must be changed.

Testing overseen by the Petroleum Safety Authority revealed release mechanisms tested this winter produced “problems” that led to their being taken of of service with a corresponding cut in staff at Veslefrikk B and Kristin.

“The potential consequences should it have been necessary to evacuate … with the aid of lifeboats … are likely to have been serious injuries or loss of life,” safety inspectors said.

The decision gives the oil company until mid-2009 to determine how to change-out the technology, and Statoil has until November to comply to avoid fines or worse.

Norwegian offshore unions have long made lifeboat safety a priority, and it was their intervention that inspired the recent focus of safety inspectors on lifeaboats.

The PSA also noted the oil company had been slow to grasp the seriousness of the release mechanisms for the freefall-type boats. But the boat’s suppliers, too, came in for criticism for not being to speed on the latest safety strictures.

“Changes have been made without any analysis of the risk associated with new lifeboats as a complete evacuation system,” the PSA said. StatoilHydro will have to replace the release mechanism for the FF1000S freefall lifeboat.