Statoil has closed oil production from the Gullfaks B platform in the North Sea after discovering a rupture in a pipe on the offshore unit.
The hole was found on a pipe linked to the platform’s flaring system last night, driving Statoil to send 159 workers to the living quarters, NRK reports, citing Ørjan Heradstveit, a spokesperson at Statoil. The company is working to fix the problem, NRK further reports.
According to Heradstveit the pipe is part of a manual pressure relief system, and the shutdown is carried out as a precautionary measure.
Statoil did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment, sent by Offshore Energy Today.
Offshore Energy Today Staff, November 14, 2013