|
Norway Draugen oilfield leaks oil, far from coast
Planet Ark
NORWAY:
29th January 2003
OSLO - The 200,000 barrels per day Draugen oilfield in the Norwegian Sea is leaking oil but there is no immediate danger that a slick will drift to the coast, operator Shell (RD.AS) (SHEL.L) said this week.
"We're investigating to see where the leak is and ways to stop it," Shell spokeswoman Kitty Eide said. "We don't know how much has been spilt."
She told Reuters that the company had closed down subsea installations pumping oil in the Rogn South area 5-6 km (3.1-3.7miles) from the Draugen platform after discovering the leak on Sunday.
"We've closed the subsea installations but the platform wells are still producing," she said. The Draugen field is 145km northwest of the Norwegian port of Kristiansund.
She said that it was too early to estimate how far the closures were affecting overall production. She said that the remote wells accounted for only a small share of output.
Eide said that a weather forecast by the Norwegian meteorological office indicated that any oil slick would stay in the area for at least the next four days. A robot vehicle with a camera had been deployed to search for the source fo the leak.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
Top
|
