Bellona, an environmental organization, is considering taking legal action against the Norwegian oil giant Statoil over an offshore oil spill.
Statoil on Thursday said an oil spill was detected near its Statfjord A platform in the North Sea. The company’s preliminary assessments indicated that 40 cubic meters of oil were spilled into the sea.
Reacting to the news on the spill, Bellona issued a statement saying it saw the incident as a possible environmental crime, adding it was considering taking legal action and demand Statoil sharpens its security procedures.
“This is the third time Statoil has spilled oil on Statfjord since 2007,” Bellona president Frederic Hauge said, accusing the oil company of not learning from its previous mistake.
“This could prove to be a crime against the environment, where Statoil should be fined,” Hauge said.
“Bellona will contact Statoil and other relevant authorities to clarify a number of events. Based on 30 years of experience working with oil spills we consider reporting the incident to the police,” Hauge added.
Statoil on Wednesday said the oil spill was discovered during the loading of oil from the Statfjord A platform to the tanker “Hilda Knutsen” via the OLS B loading buoy, which is located between Statfjord A and Statfjord B.
Loading to the tanker was stopped and supply to the pipe and loading system from Statfjord A has been closed, the company has reported.
Statoil added that production at Statfjord A was operating normally. The leak was located in a flange in the loading hose. The cause of the leak is under investigation.
Offshore Energy Today Staff