Statoil sees more Aker-BP type-deals in Norway oil sector

STAVANGER, Norway, Aug 29 (Reuters) - John Knight, Statoil (LSE: 0M2Z.L - news) 's executive vice-president for global strategy and business development, told the ONS oil conference in Stavanger on Monday:

** Expects more deals in the Norwegian oil sector like the merger between BP's Norwegian business and that of Norwegian oil firm Det norske and its top owner, holding company Aker (LSE: 0MJX.L - news) , earlier this year.

** Says: "Some large, traditional players of the last 50 years have already left ... Just this year we had one of the largest (BP) changing its business not by leaving but by merging into a smaller company and becoming a minority investor. I believe we will see more of this in the coming period."

** Says: "And I believe that the financial character and requirements of shareholders that sit behind this sort of change will be different to some of the larger players. I think it might mean we have to think about different ways of doing tax transfers and asset deals."

** Says: "We all have to think further about the financial structures for decommissioning and abandonment. We will have to think about more collaborative and transitional models for operatorship."

** Says: "I think we will see more complexity in contingency structures and in payments, when assets transfers and business transfers are made." (Reporting by Gwladys Fouche and Stine Jacobsen, editing by Terje Solsvik and Alister Doyle)