Shell says Gannet oil leak in North Sea under control
14 August 2011
Shell UK Limited released a statement on Saturday saying that an oil leak in a flow line to its Gannet Alpha platform in the North Sea was under control. The subsea well was shut in on Wednesday and the flowline on the seabed is now isolated and depressurized. Leakage of oil has been “considerably reduced”, according to the company.
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| Location of Gannet in the North Sea. Source: Shell. Click to enlarge. |
Shell estimates the size of the sea surface affected is some 31 km by 4.3 km at its widest point and the sheen is currently moving west from the field. The Gannet field is in the Central North Sea around 112 miles (180km) east of Aberdeen.
Water depth at Gannet is 95m (310ft); reservoir depth for Gannet A is 2,227m (7,305ft).
Shell said that its current expectation was that the oil will be naturally dispersed through wave action and will not reach shore. The weather currently is southerly winds of 25 to 30 knots and the sea state is some 2-meter waves.
Shell has deployed a Remote-Operated Vehicle (ROV) to do inspection checks and monitor the subsea leak which is on a flow line on the sea bed.
The relevant authorities (MCA, DECC, HSE) continue to be kept informed.
A stand-by vessel remains on station with oil spill response equipment and dispersant if required.
Personnel on the platform are safe and the platform continues to operate.
Shell U.K. Limited operates Gannet on behalf of itself and Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited.
Shell and/or BP says that......is not always the whole truth.
Posted by: HarveyD | 14 August 2011 at 12:27 PM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/aug/15/north-sea-oil-spill
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/aug/16/shell-second-oil-leak
Posted by: ai_vin | 16 August 2011 at 01:24 PM