Drilling work on a North Sea field has been suspended after a safety breach underneath the Bredford Dolphin rig this morning.
The rig, operated by Lundin Petroleum, was drilling on the Johan Sverdrup discovery when the riser under the deck of the rig suffered a breach.
The well, which began drilling two weeks ago, has now been shut in and secured, with Lundin insisting there was no risk of an oil leak.
High winds of more than 55mph in the North Sea prevented the company from evacuating the 88 staff on board the rig, and preventing the rig from rejoining with the disconnected well.
“No one was affected by this incident and all 88 persons on board the rig are safe,” said Lundin managing director Torstein Sanness.
The riser, situated 65m beneath the deck of the rig, contained mud and chemicals when it broke away. Investigations into the cause of the incident are now underway.
Emergency response teams have been mobilised by Lundin, although it is understood the chemicals are approved by Norwegian authorities and not regarded as dangerous to the environment.
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