Norwegian oil terminal evacuated after smoke seen on tanker

Police evacuated people from a major tanker port in southern Norway Friday as a precaution after smoke was reported coming from an oil tanker.

They tweeted that crew members on the Liberia-flagged Dubai Harmony were assisting firefighters to control any blaze.

Police spokesman Bjarte Rebnord told the Norwegian news agency NTB that there are “reports of flames and smoke but there should be some control over the situation.”

Rebnord said there were 23 crew members on the tanker and some 106 people have been evacuated.

Local newspaper Bergens Tidende said the fire was in the engine room. Rescue ships and tug boats were on standby and a 500-meter (550-yard) security perimeter around Dubai Harmony had been established.

The ship is docked at Stureterminalen, north of Bergen. The terminal receives oil from several offshore facilities in the North Sea via pipelines.

Norway, with its offshore oil installations, is one of the world’s largest exporters of oil and gas.