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| No immediate danger from platform flare, says Total | No immediate danger from platform flare, says Total |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A flame is still burning in the stack above a North Sea platform from which gas has been leaking for three days. | A flame is still burning in the stack above a North Sea platform from which gas has been leaking for three days. |
| Experts were concerned that if escaping gas connected with the naked flame in the flare stack it could explode. | Experts were concerned that if escaping gas connected with the naked flame in the flare stack it could explode. |
| Oil company Total said the cloud of escaped gas was at a lower height than the flare which is still alight on the Elgin platform, 150 miles off Aberdeen. | Oil company Total said the cloud of escaped gas was at a lower height than the flare which is still alight on the Elgin platform, 150 miles off Aberdeen. |
| A spokesman for Total told the BBC the flare was "left on deliberately" when the platform was evacuated on Sunday. | |
| He said its last report of the flare was at 17:30 on Tuesday and it had "reduced in size" at that time. | |
| The spokesman said they "expect it to go out within a few hours". | |
| He said the intention had been to burn off gas from the production process. | |
| There was no immediate danger of explosion as the flare was 90 metres (295ft) upwind of the gas leak, he said. | |
| The spokesman added that the flare could not be extinguished remotely and it would simply have to burn out. | |
| Jake Molloy, from the RMT union, said it was "beyond comprehension" that the flare was still burning. | Jake Molloy, from the RMT union, said it was "beyond comprehension" that the flare was still burning. |
| A cloud of gas was reported to be surrounding the platform. | A cloud of gas was reported to be surrounding the platform. |
| A sheen of between two and 23 tonnes of gas condensate, measuring six nautical miles in length, has been reported on the water nearby. | A sheen of between two and 23 tonnes of gas condensate, measuring six nautical miles in length, has been reported on the water nearby. |
| Mr Molloy, who represents offshore workers, said the potential remained for "catastrophic devastation". | |
| Dr Martin Preston, a marine pollution expert at the University of Liverpool, said: "The flare is obviously at the top of the platform and the gas is leaking out round the legs of it so there's some physical separation of a few hundred feet, probably, between the two. | Dr Martin Preston, a marine pollution expert at the University of Liverpool, said: "The flare is obviously at the top of the platform and the gas is leaking out round the legs of it so there's some physical separation of a few hundred feet, probably, between the two. |
| "But obviously if you get a swirl of wind it might raise the gas up higher then it could ignite. | "But obviously if you get a swirl of wind it might raise the gas up higher then it could ignite. |
| "But it is very difficult to predict and it's obviously going to mean that nobody can get near the platform to do any work until that flare is out. | "But it is very difficult to predict and it's obviously going to mean that nobody can get near the platform to do any work until that flare is out. |
| "It's just not going to be safe. If it just keeps burning then they're going to have to find a plan B. But the plan B which involves drilling a relief well is going to take a very long time." | |
| Oceanographer Simon Boxall told BBC Scotland's Newsnight Scotland programme if the gas connected with the flare it would explode. | |
| He said: "It would not just go on fire, it would be a fairly volatile explosion." | He said: "It would not just go on fire, it would be a fairly volatile explosion." |
| David Hainsworth, health, safety and environment manager for Total E&P UK, said on Tuesday the situation was "stable". | David Hainsworth, health, safety and environment manager for Total E&P UK, said on Tuesday the situation was "stable". |
| He said all the power was turned off when the platform was evacuated to minimise the risk of igniting an explosion. | He said all the power was turned off when the platform was evacuated to minimise the risk of igniting an explosion. |
| It later emerged that the flare was still alight on the main production platform. | It later emerged that the flare was still alight on the main production platform. |
| Exclusion zones | Exclusion zones |
| Mr Hainsworth said: "However, the wind is blowing the gas plume in the opposite direction away from this flare. | Mr Hainsworth said: "However, the wind is blowing the gas plume in the opposite direction away from this flare. |
| "We know that the weather forecast is such that the wind remains the same for the following five to six days and we are evaluating options to extinguish this flare." | "We know that the weather forecast is such that the wind remains the same for the following five to six days and we are evaluating options to extinguish this flare." |
| UK government energy minister Charles Hendry said he had been advised by Total that the flare was "well-above" the level of the gas. | UK government energy minister Charles Hendry said he had been advised by Total that the flare was "well-above" the level of the gas. |
| He said: "Clearly, when you have a significant amount of gas escaping, there is a case for trying to burn some of it off to get rid of it rather than leaving it as a hazard elsewhere, so there has to be a decision made on the balance between safe operation and flaring off the gas that can be flared off and closing down the full platform." | |
| Mr Hendry said the government was "very comfortable" that Total had been exercising the emergency plan as agreed. | |
| Mr Hendry said the first concern had been to remove workers and then activate an exclusion zone. | Mr Hendry said the first concern had been to remove workers and then activate an exclusion zone. |
| He said they would now move on to trying to "remediate" the problem. | He said they would now move on to trying to "remediate" the problem. |
| Exclusion zones have been put in place around the platform. | Exclusion zones have been put in place around the platform. |
| Coastguards said shipping was being ordered to keep at least two miles away and there was a three-mile exclusion zone for aircraft. | Coastguards said shipping was being ordered to keep at least two miles away and there was a three-mile exclusion zone for aircraft. |
| Shell has moved 120 non-essential staff from the Shearwater platform and Hans Deul drilling rig, about four miles from the Elgin, because of the drifting gas. | Shell has moved 120 non-essential staff from the Shearwater platform and Hans Deul drilling rig, about four miles from the Elgin, because of the drifting gas. |
| Shell later said it was bringing forward plans to carry out maintenance at Shearwater. | Shell later said it was bringing forward plans to carry out maintenance at Shearwater. |
| The Scottish government said ministers were being kept "fully informed of developments". | The Scottish government said ministers were being kept "fully informed of developments". |
| Total said it was looking at several options to stem the flow of gas following Sunday's incident. | Total said it was looking at several options to stem the flow of gas following Sunday's incident. |
| Earlier, it revealed it could take six months to drill a relief well to stop the leak. | Earlier, it revealed it could take six months to drill a relief well to stop the leak. |
| Human side | Human side |
| Mr Molloy, of the RMT union, was asked if the incident was the most serious in the North Sea since the 1988 Piper Alpha oil platform tragedy which saw 167 men die. | Mr Molloy, of the RMT union, was asked if the incident was the most serious in the North Sea since the 1988 Piper Alpha oil platform tragedy which saw 167 men die. |
| He told BBC Scotland: "Fortunately we have dealt with the human side of it, but the potential exists for catastrophic devastation. | He told BBC Scotland: "Fortunately we have dealt with the human side of it, but the potential exists for catastrophic devastation. |
| "If it somehow finds an ignition source we could be looking at complete destruction." | "If it somehow finds an ignition source we could be looking at complete destruction." |
| Wullie Wallace, of the Unite union, called for a full evacuation and power down of all oil platforms within a five-mile radius of the incident. | Wullie Wallace, of the Unite union, called for a full evacuation and power down of all oil platforms within a five-mile radius of the incident. |
| He said: "The risk may be low but our concern is that if the drifting gas was to hit any of the neighbouring installations the results could be catastrophic. | He said: "The risk may be low but our concern is that if the drifting gas was to hit any of the neighbouring installations the results could be catastrophic. |
| "We would call on the oil and gas industry and the Health and Safety Executive not to take any chances here." | "We would call on the oil and gas industry and the Health and Safety Executive not to take any chances here." |
| The Elgin platform was not a deepwater drilling rig and platform but it was unusual in that they were drilling down 5km (3.1 miles) into the sea bed. | The Elgin platform was not a deepwater drilling rig and platform but it was unusual in that they were drilling down 5km (3.1 miles) into the sea bed. |
| All 238 workers were removed from the Elgin installation and the nearby Rowan Viking drilling rig by helicopter on Sunday. | All 238 workers were removed from the Elgin installation and the nearby Rowan Viking drilling rig by helicopter on Sunday. |
| The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has been monitoring the situation and said there was no indication of a risk of significant pollution to the environment. | The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has been monitoring the situation and said there was no indication of a risk of significant pollution to the environment. |