Shell evacuates workers near North Sea leak
LONDON (AP) — Shell UK says it is withdrawing some of its workers from two North Sea platforms near an underwater gas leak from a Total-run rig.
Shell's move on Tuesday follows the discovery of a leak beneath the Total SA's Elgin platform on Sunday, which prompted the evacuation of all 238 workers there.
Shell described the partial evacuation as precautionary, and both platforms continue to operate.
The leak on Total's platform started during work to plug and abandon the well.
A surveillance flight on Monday detected a sheen around the platform, believed to be caused by gas condensate — a petrol-like substance that contains oil.
An explosion triggered by a leak of gas condensate caused one of Britain's worst oil disasters, which killed 167 people on the Piper Alpha rig in 1988.
