HSE sanctions Shell over gas leak on North Sea platform

Shell UK Limited has been sanctioned by the UK Government’s Health and Safety Executive over a gas leak on a North Sea platform that occurred in June this year.

The platform on which the leakage took place is the Brent Bravo platform located in the North Sea, 116 miles north-east of Lerwick.

According to the Evening Express, a daily local newspaper serving the city of Aberdeen in Scotland, HSE has issued the company with a prohibition notice which is one of its most serious punishments.

In an e-mail sent to Offshore Energy Today, the oil giant has confirmed the information on the HSE penalty.

A Shell spokesperson said: “Shell UK Limited can confirm that it has been issued with a Prohibition Notice in relation to a low level gas release which was detected from a valve on a pipeline on the Brent Bravo platform on 9 June 2014.”

The spokesperson further explained that, “the team on the platform took immediate action to depressurise the line and to bring the situation under control. These and subsequent actions have addressed the issues raised in the notice, and the affected system has been returned to normal operational service.”

The spokesperson emphasized that, “the safety of our people remains our primary concern.”