THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Shell's Dunlin Alpha Oil Platform Reducing Gas Build-Up: "Shell experienced problems with gas build-up in the utility leg of another one of its platforms, Brent Bravo, last year. Two men were killed in that incident." (ShellNews.net)

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

September 1, 2004 10:20 a.m.

Posted 2 Sept 04

LONDON -- Workers at Royal Dutch/Shell's (RD) Dunlin Alpha oil platform in the U.K. North Sea have removed about 75% of the gas build-up in one of the platform legs, a spokeswoman for Shell said Wednesday.

The platform was shut down Aug. 15 after a gas build-up was detected in the platform's B-leg.

"The platform is stable - there are 25 people on board at the moment working on removing the gas," she said.

There are usually around 75 people on board the platform.

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said they are monitoring the situation at Dunlin Alpha.

"We aren't able to send any investigators in until we get confirmation it's safe to go out there...we're waiting for the gas levels in the leg to reduce," he said.

Shell experienced problems with gas build-up in the utility leg of another one of its platforms, Brent Bravo, last year. Two men were killed in that incident.

The Shell spokeswoman was unable to say how long it would take to completely remove the gas from Dunlin Alpha's B-leg.

Dunlin Alpha began producing in 1978. The gas build-up is the only health and safety incident there so far this year, the Shell spokeswoman said.

-By Nicole Lee, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 207 842 9366, nicole.lee@dowjones.com