Offshore staff
ABERDEEN, UK – Shell has issued an update on measures to stem a residual leak from a flowline to the Gannet platform in the UK North Sea.
The agenda for today includes:
• Laying rock mattresses to secure the flowline to the seabed
• Monitoring the conditions of the sea, which affect dispersal of the oil, in conjunction with Marine Scotland
• Further surveys of bird and marine activity by air surveillance and vessels in the area. To date there is no indication of significant impact on the environment, the company says.
Shell has three vessels at the offshore location equipped with dispersants and oil spill response equipment if needed.
Latest estimates suggest the area of the sea surface affected is roughly 500 m (1,640 ft) by 500 m at its widest point, with around 0.4 metric tons (0.44 tons) of oil on the surface.
Shell believes the total maximum volume contained in the flowline is around 660 metric tons (727 tons), or a maximum of 4,000 bbl.
08/19/2011
