The Frigg field straddled the boundary between the Norwegian and British sectors of the North Sea, and responsibility was shared betwen companies from both countries. The archive project, which began in 2005 and was completed in 2008, was divided along similar lines.
The Frigg field was operated as a single entity from Stavanger, even though the platforms were in both Norwegian and British waters. The field was documented by teams from the Norwegian Petroleum Museum, the Stavanger regional office of the National Archives of Norway, and the National Library of Norway.
The University of Aberdeen recorded the gas compression platform MCP-01, the initial developmnet phases of the two 32-inch gas pipelines from the field, and the St Fergus Gas Terminal in Peterhead, north of Aberdeen.
The Frigg UK collection at the University of Aberdeen contains over 1500 individual items, including engineering drawings, technical manuals, operational records, staff magazines, photographs, and film and video footage. Oral history recordings provide a uniquely personal view of how the arrival of North Sea gas shaped people’s lives.
There are runs of engineering, administrative and publicity records, showing the development of technology and changes in corporate policy. As the first international field to be exploited in Europe, Frigg became the model on which later collaborative agreements and operations were based.
The project was funded by TOTAL E&P UK and Gassled, the consortium responsible for Norwegian pipelines.
Searching the Collection 
The collection (reference MS 3801) is available to search using the online catalogue of the University’s archives, alongside other smaller collections relating to the oil and gas industry.
Some documents can be viewed online. These include photographs, technical records relating to MCP-01, audio-visual clips, and extracts from Total’s magazines about the Frigg Field and installation.
Please contact us if you need advice.
IMAGES ON THIS PAGE
1. MCP-01 general arrangement drawing.
2. MCP-01 radio tower at sunset, 1986 (MS 3803/2/7).
3. Plan from MCP-01 Statutory Operations Manual, 1984 (MS 3801/1/1/3).
