Watchdog halted work on rig over fears of gas explosion

BRITAIN’s safety watchdog halted production on the former sister installation to the Piper Alpha disaster platform, because of concerns about the risk of an explosion on the rig.

A prohibition notice was served on Talisman’s Claymore platform in August following four “significant” gas leaks in two months, it was revealed yesterday.

And documents released by the Health and Safety Executive have shown it took action because of fears insufficient action had been taken by Talisman.

The notice, served on the Canadian giant, states: “You have not taken appropriate measures to prevent fire and explosion, in that you do not have in place an effective combination of engineering, procedural and managerial controls to prevent the unintentional release of flammable or explosive substances.”

A spokesman for Talisman said production had resumed on Claymore last month after the company had “fully complied” with the prohibition notice.