North Sea alert charges dropped

A woman charged following the North Sea's biggest security scare will not face court, the BBC Scotland news website can reveal.

A total of 161 staff were airlifted from the Safe Scandinavia platform during the alert in February.

Dana Rosu, 23, of Aberdeen, who had been working aboard the installation, was charged after allegations of a "possible suspicious device".

A spokeswoman for the procurator fiscal said there would be no proceedings.

There have now been industry calls for lessons to be learned.

The incident was described as the North Sea's biggest ever security operation, with plans in place to evacuate more than 500 workers.

A total of 539 people had been on board the Safe Scandinavia.

It is an accommodation installation attached by a bridge to an oil rig in the Britannia field, 130 miles off the Aberdeen coast.

Costly operation

The initial rescue operation involved 13 helicopters and a fixed wing aircraft.

The rescue side of the operation alone was understood to have cost more than £500,000.

Romanian Ms Rosu had made no plea or declaration during a previous appearance at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and had been remanded to the city's Cornhill psychiatric hospital for assessment.

She was released on bail in March after handing in her passport.

A spokeswoman for the procurator fiscal in Aberdeen told the BBC Scotland news website: "After careful consideration and full investigation, Crown Counsel have decided there will be no criminal proceedings in the case against Dana Rosu."

A spokeswoman on behalf of Britannia, Safe Scandinavia's operators, said the company was aware of the decision not to prosecute Ms Rosu, and said they had nothing to add.

Jake Molloy, of the OILC/RMT union, called for lessons to be learned.

He said: "I am delighted that there's not going to be charges brought."

Mr Molloy explained anecdotal evidence led him to believe the situation was caused by a "failure of management to react to what was a medical problem".

He said: "The entire episode could have been avoided. A full disclosure of the events would be appropriate to ensure we can learn lessons."

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Scottish Courts
Grampian Police
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
RAF Kinloss
Petroleum Safety Authority Norway
Scottish Government
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites