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Offshore Industry Liaison Committee: Brent Bravo problems continue: 08 August 2005

OILC - The Offshore Union Latest News and Safety Alerts

08 August 2005

OILC has learnt that the Brent Bravo platform was evacuated on the evening of Sunday August 7th after a hydrocarbon leak in the platform’s Utility leg.

Information coming in to OILC suggests there had been a build up of gas in the Utility leg with the suspected source of the leak being below the lowest working level in the leg, the 77 metre level. Workers report that almost 80 personnel were evacuated, with Shell management explaining this was being done purely ‘as a precaution’. We have been informed that some 30 personnel were evacuated to the Brent Delta platform, just over 30 to Brent Charlie and around 16 to the North Cormorant platform.

Workers have been informed that the situation is all but under control, however, personnel will remain where they are for the time being. Only those workers that are scheduled to travel home today will be returned to Brent Bravo, so that they can gather their personal belongings from the platform. Essential personnel only remain on board the platform and the situation is being ‘monitored’. Workers have been informed that the HSE are aware of the incident.

The Brent Bravo Utility leg has featured prominently in the news over the last few years, 3 workers have died in the leg, two of those after gas escaped in September 2003. Those deaths led to the Company being fined £900,000 in April this year after pleading guilty to several breaches of Health and Safety Regulations.

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