Cumbrian families affected by rig deaths to get compensation from Norway
89 survived under dramatic circumstances
Last updated 17th Oct 2025
Survivors and families in Cumbria affected by the Kielland disaster are welcoming news that compensation will be paid much sooner than expected.
Politicians in Norway voted to bring forward payments to between March and June next year - instead of waiting until sometime in 2027.
69 voted in favour, while 32 were against.
It is not yet clear how much each of the 212 involved will receive.
Campaigners are pushing for everyone on board to get the same amount awarded to North Sea divers.
"scarred for life"
Leif Monsen, is a senior advisor at First House and works closely with the Kielland network and SANDS Law Firm, he said: " Today we passed a new and decisive milestone in this work.
"This happened when all parties in the Storting - with the exception of the Labour Party - decided to ask the government to submit a proposal for a compensation scheme for victims and survivors of the Kielland accident by March 2026.
"This is to follow up on the decision made by the previous Storting on 5 June this year on a special compensation scheme for the survivors and bereaved of the largest industrial accident in Norway ever."
"123 men lost their lives on this stormy and dark evening on the Ekofisk field in the North Sea, on 27 March 1980.
"89 survived under dramatic circumstances, most of them scarred for life.
"It is now high time that injustice becomes justice, as the Kielland network has worked for. The victims are starting to get old.
"Only since the Storting decision on 5th June this year, six survivors and widows have passed away. Therefore, it is strongly overdue that society makes amends for those who sacrificed their lives and health for the country's oil wealth."