Royal Dutch Shell was forced to shut down all wells that flow to its Brutus platform because of a 2,100 barrel oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the US Bureau of safety and environmental enforcement (BSEE), a 2-mile by 13 mile sheen was visible 97 miles off the Louisiana coast.
The Coast Guard estimates that approximately 88,200 gallons was released from the pipeline. The discharge source has been reported as being secured. There are 4 subsea wells in the area, known as Glider Field. The crude flows to the Brutus platform, sitting in water that is 2,900 feet deep.
Curtis Smith, a Shell spokesman, said the company helicopter saw the sheen on Thursday and that wells were under control after the leak was isolated and production was shut down. According to Shell:
There are no drilling activities at Brutus, and this is not a well control incident.
Brutus started operating in 2001 with a 100,000 barrel capacity, along with 150 million cubic feet of gas daily.
The exact cause of the oil leak is still under investigation. Shell feels that it was likely released from subsea infrastructure and they are investigating the subsea equipment and flow lines.
Since the 2010 BP well blowout that spilled more than 3 million barrels of oil in the Gulf, BSEE has tightened regulations.
Shell reports that no injuries resulted from the incident and they have mobilized response vehicles to see if the spilled oil could be recovered.
Via: Huffington Post
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