BP is preparing a number of responses for dealing with oil that leaked from its Clair platform, but thinks letting it disperse naturally at sea is the best option, the company said today in a statement.
The firm said it was still trying to determine how much oil had been spilled and was working on a response with Oil Spill Response Ltd and the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
The leak, detected yesterday morning, resulted from a “technical issue with the system designed to separate the mixed production fluids of water, oil and gas”, according to BP.
It took an hour to stop the discharge.
The platform, 46 miles west of Shetland, was shut down and will stay offline until an investigation has been carried out.
BP said in a statement: “At present, we believe the most appropriate response is to allow the oil to disperse naturally at sea, but contingencies for other action are being prepared.
“Oil has been observed on the sea surface and we are monitoring its movement. Both direct observation and oil spill modelling indicate the oil to be moving in a northerly direction away from land.
“The total oil in water volume that was released has yet to be accurately assessed and work to determine this is on-going.”
Scotland’s Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said allowing the oil to disperse naturally is the method least likely to cause harm to an important marine habitat nearby.
She added: “The oil residue, about 55km off the coast of Shetland, is moving away from the shore and, as such, there is a low risk to bird species at this time of year.
“The nearby Faroe-Shetland sponge belt marine protected area is home to deep-water sponges 400-600 metres below the sea surface.
“Marine Scotland have advised that allowing the oil to weather naturally is the least harmful option for this internationally important marine habitat.
Ms Cunningham said she is closely monitoring the situation, which she understands to be the result of “the rig discharging ’produced water’ containing a much larger than usual amount of oil”.
WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: “It’s disappointing BP have been unable to provide an estimate of the amount of oil spilled yet feel able to say they are happy to leave it to disperse naturally.
“In the interests of protecting their staff and the marine environment, serious questions need asked about how this spill occurred. Until those questions are answered the platform should remain out of operation.”
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