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Shell have confirmed a leak in a pipeline serving one of their North Sea platforms. Photo courtesy: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images
Who would have guessed it? Yet another oil leak from a company which has made no significant changes to its drilling policies since the last catastrophe. And shame on the government officials who don't demand that changes are made and stricter safety precautions are put in place before issuing one more drilling permit.
Royal Dutch Shell has said it is working to contain an oil leak at its Gannet Alpha platform in the North Sea; but, in true CYA (cover your ass) fashion declined to specify the size of the leak. (If we don't tell them anything, maybe they won't notice the extent of the pollution.)
"We can confirm we are managing an oil leak in a flow line that serves the Gannet Alpha platform. We deployed a remote-operated vehicle to check for a subsea leak after a light sheen was noticed in the area," a Shell spokesman said.
"We have stemmed the leak significantly and we are taking further measures to isolate it. The subsea well has been shut in, and the flow line is being depressurised."
Asked about the size of the leak, a Shell spokeswoman declined to say.
One of the wells at the oilfield 112 miles east of Aberdeen has been closed, but Shell did not specify whether output was reduced.
According to Argus Media, the Gannet field produced about 13,500 barrels of oil between January and April. The field is co-owned with US firm Exxon and operated by Shell.
A document available on Shell's website says the Gannet facilities have capacity to export 88,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Shell also said it had restarted its North Sea Brent Alpha and Bravo fields on Thursday after a seven-month shutdown, while two other fields remained shut.
The company shut all four of its Brent platforms, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta, in January for repairs.
"Brent Alpha and Brent Bravo are producing gas for export via the Flags(far north liquids and gas line) to the St Fergus gas plant," Shell said.
"It is anticipated that Brent Delta will resume export in the near future and Brent Charlie will restart in early 2012."
The statement said that the work at the Brent fields was technically challenging and depended on the weather in the area.
Green party co-leader Patrick Harvie said: "It's too early to tell how serious this spill is, but it is imperative now that Shell act both urgently and efficiently.
"They must also keep the public and the authorities properly informed about progress, something BP failed to do during the Gulf of Mexico disaster last year.
"Whatever the outcome of this incident, it certainly underlines the need for the oil industry to publish proper response plans, as Greenpeace have been asking them to do. If they refuse to do so, ministers should act to make it a condition of their licences."
Before the shut-in, the four Brent fields produced about 4.5 million cubic metres a day of gas, less than 2 percent of current UK gas demand, and just 20,000 barrels per day of oil.
Brent was once Britain's largest oilfield, and still has global significance as one of the four key North Sea crude streams along with Forties, Oseberg and Ekofisk.
Via guardian
An example of a floating power plant. Photo courtesy: floatingpowerplant
Someone once said that we must remember the past in order to avoid making the same mistakes in the futures. It would appear that we have learned nothing at all from all the havoc we have wrought upon the planet. Catastrophes I have blogged about: the nuclear accident in Japan; the BP oil spill in the gulf; exploding Gulf water samples; the ship loaded with toxic waste that went down in Madagascar; and, many others.
Did we learn anything from the devastation; loss of aquatic life, loss of jobs and income; lack of corporate responsibility; and, consequences that will extend past our lifetimes? Obviously not. Personally, I have already bent over and kissed my butt good-bye just in case I don't have the time when actually required. I like to plan ahead.
Read on friends. The horror unfolds.
Royal Dutch Shell PLC will construct the biggest floating man-made object ever, a natural gas processing plant longer than four football fields and more massive than any aircraft carrier.
The “Prelude FLNG” facility, to be anchored off the Australian coast, will be made of 260,000 tons of steel — five times more than Sydney’s famed Harbour Bridge, Shell said.
It is designed to take in the equivalent of 110,000 barrels per day in gas from undersea fields 200 kilometers (125 miles) off Australia’s Northwest coast and cool it into liquefied natural gas, known as LNG.
Australia is awash in natural gas, and is eager to sell it to the booming economies of Asia.
In order for natural gas to be shipped overseas, it must be cooled to -260 degrees Fahrenheit. At that temperature the gas becomes a liquid that takes up just 0.2 percent of the volume of the gas, allowing more gas to be packed onto a ship. Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. Liquefied natural gas may be odorless, colorless, non-toxic and non-corrosive; but, hazards include flammability, freezing and asphyxia.
The Australian oil and gas company Woodside is set to begin production at a giant onshore liquid natural gas facility in Western Australia this year and is considering doubling its size.
Shell claimed the plant will be able to withstand category 5 cyclones, the worst type of storms, and is planned to remain moored above the Prelude gas field for 25 years after completion.
Shell said the plant will be built in a South Korean shipyard but did not say how much it would cost.
A company spokeswoman declined to set a date for the plant’s completion date, but noted the Prelude gas field is scheduled to start production around 2017.
“We don’t give specific guidance on project level spend, but we are making a substantial investment in Australia LNG,” said spokeswoman Kirsten Smart in an email.
Shell plans $30 billion in various investments in Australia over the coming five years, the company has said.
“This project is certainly competitive with more traditional Australian LNG developments on a cost and economics basis,” Smart wrote.
Financial newswire Dow Jones cited Australia’s Resources Minister Martin Ferguson as saying the project will benefit the country’s economy by creating around 1,000 jobs and contributing A$12 billion ($12.8 billion) in tax revenues over 25 years.
Read more on their website: shell.com
To leave feedback on the project or make an enquiry, use: www.shell.com.au/emailshell
Mailing address: Shell Australia, PO Box 872K, Melbourne Vic 3000
If you are in Australia or wish to phone: (03) 9666 5444 (switchboard)
If you wish to fax: (03) 8823 4800 (general)
Via Washington Post
Shell have confirmed a leak in a pipeline serving one of their North Sea platforms. Photo courtesy: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images
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