Shell gets go–ahead for pipe oil recovery

Shell has been given the go-ahead to recover the residual oil still trapped in a subsea pipeline, following last August’s major spill at the company’s Gannet platform.

A year ago divers succeeded in shutting off the leaking oil valve on the subsea pipeline which had been at the centre of the North Sea’s biggest oil spill for a decade – nine days after the emergency on the Gannet platform began.

It has been estimated that between 188 and 225 tonnes remain trapped inside the 24 inch pipeline, 300ft below the surface and 112 miles east of Aberdeen.

A Shell spokeswoman said: “It is expected that this operation, carried out at a water depth of 300ft, will recover the majority of the oil in the carrier pipe. A secondary operation is planned to take place in spring 2013.”