Shell has been dealing with the release of an estimated 216
tonnes - 1,300 barrels - from a leak near the platform discovered last
week.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change said it was a "substantial" spill, but should disperse naturally.
The oil company said it was working to tackle a "second pathway" of leakage.
Glen Cayley, technical director
of Shell's exploration and production activities in Europe, said: "The
leak source remains the same. The initial release path was stopped,
however the oil found a second pathway to the sea.
"Since then we have been working to find the source of the
much smaller flow of hydrocarbons. It had proved difficult to find
because we are dealing with a complex subsea infrastructure and the
position of the small leak is in an awkward place surrounded by marine
growth.
"So, it has taken our ROV inspections some time to establish exactly where the source is.
"We believe now that the flow is coming from a relief valve
adjacent to the original leak and from the same source. Once we've
confirmed this we will then develop a series of mitigation options to
stop this leak.
"There is no new leak."
Efforts are underway to tackle the Gannet Alpha leak
On Monday afternoon, Shell said that the sheen from the "light
crude oil with a low wax content" was 0.5 square kilometres in size.
A DECC spokesman said: "Shell has informed us that the oil
leak at its pipeline at the Gannet Alpha platform east of Aberdeen is
under control and has now been greatly reduced.
"They are working to completely halt any further leakage.
"DECC's environmental inspectors will continue to monitor the
situation and have been working closely with the company and
counterparts from the Health and Safety Executive, Maritime and
Coastguard Agency and Marine Scotland since the spill was reported last
week."
The spokesman added: "Although small in comparison to the
Macondo, Gulf of Mexico, incident, in the context of the UK Continental
Shelf the spill is substantial.
"But it is not anticipated that oil will reach the shore and indeed it is expected that it will be dispersed naturally.
"Current estimates are that the spill could be several hundred tonnes."
Scottish Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "We
take any oil leak extremely seriously, as the first minister has made
clear, and we are continuing to monitor this situation very closely.
"While there are inevitable difficulties verifying the extent
and size of the leak, it's vital that Shell and DECC make information
available on an open, transparent and regular basis."
RSPB Scotland also urged Shell to be open.
The Gannet oil field reportedly produced about 13,500 barrels of oil per day between January and April of this year.
The field is co-owned by Esso, a subsidiary of US oil firm Exxon, but is operated by Shell.
No comments:
Post a Comment