Offshore staff
PARIS – Total says it has made further progress in stopping the gas leak from the Elgin platform G4 well in the UK central North Sea.
A specially manufactured device known as a diverter has been connected to the wellhead to divert the leaking gas away from the platform via four flexible hoses.
This measure should reinforce the safety of the well intervention operation and help alleviate restrictions on helicopter landings on the platform.
Due to rough weather, Total’s team and specialist contractors could only make two further flights to the platform this week. Aside from installing the diverter, they continued laydown of equipment for the well intervention and undertook further monitoring and inspection.
The dynamically positioned drilling rigWest Phoenix will serves as the main support vessel for the intervention operation. Currently it is preparing for the operation from its location on the edge of the 2 nmi (3.7 km) Elgin exclusion zone.
Another vessel,Skandi Aker, which is in Peterhead harbour, eastern Scotland, will also support the operation.
Next task will be to maneuver theWest Phoenix alongside the Elgin complex to allow the intervention to start as soon as possible.
In parallel, theSedco 714 is drilling the first relief well, 2 km (1.2 mi) east of the Elgin complex.
4/26/2012
