A handful of workers have been flown off a North Sea platform after Covid-19 cases were picked up on board.
BP has confirmed that five members of crew on the Clair Ridge installation have been evacuated after they tested positive for the virus.
A further seven people identified as close contacts have been flagged up.
Some are due to be flown off on the first flight tomorrow, while others will be returned home at the “earliest opportunity”.
All close contacts have been risk assessed, are receiving daily testing and are under observation by a medic, BP said.
Moreover, the oil and gas giant is preparing to retest all remaining crew on Clair Ridge, located about 45 miles west of Shetland.
A spokesman for BP said: “BP can confirm five members of crew on the Clair Ridge platform have been safely returned to Aberdeen after testing positive for Covid-19.
“A further seven individuals suspected to have come into close contact with a positive case have been identified. Some are being demobilised on the first available flight tomorrow and others will be returned to shore at the earliest opportunity.
“All close contacts have been risk assessed, are receiving daily testing and are being monitored by the platform medic. As a precaution, we are preparing to retest all remaining crew on Clair Ridge.
“We continue to follow all procedures and protocols to minimise the risk of Covid-19 offshore and to protect the health and wellbeing of our staff and contractors.”
Clair Ridge is the second phase development of the Clair field, western Europe’s biggest oilfield.
It first started up in November 2018, targeting 640 million barrels of recoverable resource and peak production of 120,000 barrels a day.
Under current proposals, Clair Ridge, the first fixed offshore facility to be installed west of Shetland, is due to continue producing until 2050.
Earlier this year, BP formed an alliance with Baker Hughes and Odfjell Drilling aimed at boosting production from Clair.
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