Bored with palm-fringed beaches and turquoise seas?
Then the gigantic oil platforms of the North Sea beckon. The first ever “rig-spotting” cruise just ended off the coast of Norway, and those onboard the four-day trip say it was jawdropping.
“I couldn’t believe that these big buildings could be made,” says passenger Kari Somme, 86, after seeing Statoil’s Troll A platform – the heaviest structure ever moved by mankind – towering 200 metres above the surface of the sea.
“It’s just wonderful, just wonderful. I was so excited because I didn’t know much about it. So when I came here and we went from rig to rig, or platform to platform, I was amazed,” she says.
The North Sea is usually known for its cold and storms.
The group of 120 tourists, all Norwegians except for a German and a Swedish couple, paid between 6,000 Norewegian kroner (Dh2,571) and 30,000 kroner for four days on board the high-tech offshore vessel Edda Fides.
The trip was organised by Edda Accommodation, a firm that provides housing for oil workers working offshore. It was looking for new ways to drum up business: oil firms are cutting costs to cope with a 60-percent drop in the price of oil since mid-2014.
Among firms to suffer is Statoil, which has just reported an adjusted loss after tax, which excludes financial and other items, of US$28 million in the second quarter after a profit of $929m a year earlier.
“There was little activity, so we used our creativity to come up with ideas. We organised this trip in six weeks,” says Bjoern Erik Julseth, the hotel manager on board.
The group toured oil installations at the Troll, Balder or Ringhorn fields. Right after this ended, a second tour departed for a trip further north to the fields of the Norwegian Sea.
Many were curious to see Norway’s oil production first hand. Oil brought wealth to a once-poor country of 4.2 million within a generation, and is still its top industry. But the bulk of the work is unseen as it takes place offshore.
“Every Norwegian knows that the oil has brought us wealth and welfare that can’t be compared to nothing or to no one,” says passenger Arnt Even Boe, a journalist.
The tourists were not allowed to board the rigs for security reasons, but the offshore workers seemed thrilled to get visitors.
“Some of them fired flares or used water canons to welcome us ... We even had a rescue helicopter, with one worker dangling above us,” says Mr Julseth, adding that the company would now evaluate whether to do another cruise tour again.
Passenger Nils Olav Nergaard brought his drone on the trip and says it has been “a real adventure”.
“To be a part of a high-tech offshore vessel, almost as a crew, and get the experience to go to the oil platforms and see them for real, that was very amazing,” Mr Nergaard says.
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.