A large gas rig in the North Sea 140 miles east of Aberdeen, United Kingdom, has a growing naked flame on top of it due to a leak. There are fears that this could spark a massive explosion and lead to significant amounts of pollution. Total, the company who operates the oil rig confirmed that in addition to the growing methane gas cloud, a 4.8sq km sheen of oil now covers the surface of the ocean near the platform. So far the company has played down the risks of major marine or air pollution. The company said in a statement, "The situation is currently stable. We continue to take all possible measures to try to identify the source and cause of the leak and to bring it under control." According to Total, engineers are still trying to figure out precisely where the gas and oil leaks are coming from. It is thought that the main reservoir at the base of the drill shaft has been closed off, but gas may be leaking from any one of many points above it. Martin Preston, marine pollution specialist, said that from an environmental perspective, both greenhouse gas emissions and local fish deaths were a concern. "The methane release represents a very significant explosion hazard, and of course methane is a potent greenhouse gas. The gas in this field is 'sour gas' – ie it contains hydrogen sulphide which is very poisonous to humans and aquatic life – so localized risks to marine life are likely. The hydrogen sulphide content of the current release is unclear at present. Localized fish kills cannot be ruled out." It is estimated that if the leak continues at it’s current rate for six months it will amount to nearly 800,000 tons of CO2 equivalent, adding to the burden of greenhouse gases already going into the atmosphere. Many environmental experts believe that incidents like this prove that the oil and gas industry can't contain leaks in supposedly less risky places like the North Sea then there's no way they should be allowed to drill in fragile and high risk places like the Arctic. Total has shut down the power supply and evacuated 238 people, a move followed on Tuesday by Shell which operates a nearby rig. Oil pollution expert Simon Boxall said human error could have led to the gas flare being left on when the platform was evacuated. No one will go anywhere near the rig until the venting gas flame is extinguished, possibly within 24 hours, but Total are expected to send in robots and drones to try to assess the underwater damage as soon as possible.
Situations like these are becoming more and more common these days. Sometimes these episodes are widely publicized in popular media and sometimes people never here about them. This one incident that occurred in the North Sea would of gone unheard about by myself if it wasn’t for writing this blog. It’s good to bring awareness to issues like this. Whether it’s a leaking oil platform or an oil tanker run aground. The media does their part trying to keep issues like these quiet and out of the peoples ears. We all go about our business and these large companies are being allowed to pollute the environment. Sometimes they get caught and sometimes they don’t. Oil is such a huge part of our world that these corporations have so much capital and influence in governments and business all around the world that they can almost do as they please. If the technology is not good enough to safely drill for oil in the ocean then it should be stopped. If the process of extracting oil from the ocean is difficult and accident prone then I could only imagine that drilling and building the platform are just as destructive. Spills and leaks from the oil manufacturing process have been polluting the worlds oceans for decades with no end in site. Until the world shifts from it’s oil based lifestyle to a more sustainable environmentally friendly one, we will keep seeing this destruction of our ecosystems. Not to mention the pollution it latter causes as fuel and industry use. The immediate impact of the pollution is felt by the local economies in the form of lost employment, clean up costs and lost revenue from food and tourism. The secondary for macro impact of the pollution will ultimately be felt by all. If it weren't for environmental organizations and watchdogs keeping an eye over things many of these so called “accidents” would go unreported. But bottom line is that our socialization needs to change. Everyone needs to do their part in being a more sustainable individual. As a world we are consuming oil at an outstanding rate and destroying our world in the process. There needs to be a green revolution that would be carried out by many of the different systems. Sustainability would be taught in schools and promoted throughout the lifecycle. The government could change the tax structures and people could get tax breaks for less automobile use and increasing sustainability. It would become the norm to take alternate forms of transportation. It would definitely take years for a shift of this magnitude but it is something that needs to happen if we are ever going to decrease our destruction and consumption of oil.
http://earthandindustry.com/2012/03/fears-grow-about-pollution-from-leaking-north-sea-gas-rig/
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