You are here: Home > Environment > Top News

Gas leak at N Sea in Britain leads to evacuation

: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, March 28, 2012

Adjust font size:

Following a gas leak at the Elgin Well Head Platform in North Sea, Britain, workers have been evacuated from the platforms and nearby.

The Elgin Well Head Platform in North Sea, Britain. [File photo]

The Elgin Well Head Platform is about 150 miles (240 km) off the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland. It is operated by Total E&P UK, which said in a statement on Monday night that the leak happened on Sunday and remained ongoing, but the situation is currently stable.

It was reported that the incident led to the evacuation of 238 workers, including those working in nearby installations operated by Shell.

British Department of Energy and Climate Change said in a statement that all personnel are reported safe with no injuries.

It said the incident occurred during work to plug and abandon the well, which was no longer producing gas. Total has now shut all wells but remote monitoring has revealed that gas continues to be released.

A sheen has been observed on the sea surface in the vicinity of the installations, which is believed to be gas condensate, a petrol like substance that typically disperses naturally to the atmosphere within hours of release.

"There is no indication of a risk of significant pollution to the environment," said the government statement.