Major North Sea pipeline shut down enters fourth day

A major North Sea pipeline remains shut down for the fourth day after an oil leak was found in one of the platforms. The leak on the Cormorant Alpha (pictured) […]

A major North Sea pipeline remains shut down for the fourth day after an oil leak was found in one of the platforms.

The leak on the Cormorant Alpha (pictured) led to the evacuation of 71 workers on Saturday as the Brent pipeline closed down. Abu Dhabi based owner and operator TAQA said the oil had remained in the leg of the platform and there was no release into the sea.

Reports claim a TAQA spokesperson said “a series of internal safety checks” need to be conducted before reopening the Brent pipeline system. The Brent pipeline, which produces around 80,000 barrels of oil every day worth around £6 million, is vital to the UK’s energy supplies.

The incident marks the second time this year that the platform has had to be evacuated following the discovery of a leak – the previous incident was seven weeks ago. Cormorant Alpha is situated 151km from Lerwick on Shetland in the UK.

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