The boss of French energy giant Total said yesterday the company had to strengthen its commitment to safety in the wake of the gas leak on its Elgin platform.
Chief executive Christophe de Margerie said the incident underlined the importance of safe conditions when working offshore. The firm has been battling to stem the gas leak on the Elgin platform in the North Sea for more than a month.
Mr de Margerie was speaking after Total revealed a £27million drop in income in the first three months of the year.
He said: “Recent incidents, such as the one on the Elgin platform in the UK North Sea, confirm the crucial importance of safety in our operations.
“We cannot envisage profitable growth without prioritising personal safety and operational reliability.
“The entire company recognises that the complexity of our operations requires an even stronger commitment to safety and environmental protection.”
Total has said previously the Elgin incident is costing it £1million a day in lost revenue.
Reporting its first-quarter results yesterday, the French energy major said the Elgin leak and another incident at its Obite natural gas plant in Nigeria had taken more than £34.2million off its net income.
Total’s European output in the latest three-month period was 499,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, down 14% on the same period in 2011.
The firm said it expected output in the current quarter to also be affected by the Elgin gas leak and to remain flat for the remainder of the year.
Total sales for the first three months of 2012 were £41.7billion, up from £37.6billion a year earlier, however, adjusted net income fell 1% to just over £2.5billion.
Mr de Margerie said in light of recent high oil prices – which had been favourable for Total’s upstream business but difficult for its refining and chemicals operations – the company was satisfied with its performance in the quarter.