BP Clair platform shut down after oil spill

A BP platform has spilled an estimated 95 t of oil into the North Sea following a technical issue with a separations unit.

The spill from the Clair platform occurred at around 10:00 yesterday. There were no injuries and no evacuations from the platform, a BP spokesperson told The Chemical Engineer.

The spill was due to a technical issue with the system designed to separate the mixed production fluids of water, oil and gas, BP said in a press statement. Using platform data, it estimates that 95 t of oil has been spilled into the sea.

“The release was stopped within an hour once the issue had been identified and Clair production was taken offline. We are investigating the cause of the technical issue and the field will remain offline until the investigation is concluded,” the oil major said.

Oil spill and environmental experts from BP and the UK government are working together to assess any potential impacts and agree how to respond.

“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,” BP added.

The Clair platform is located 75 km west of the Shetland Islands.