Following a gas leak on the Engie E&P-operated Gjøa platform in the North Sea, the operator has now identified a cause but is keeping the production shut.
Engie has 30% interest in the field and its partners are Shell with 12%, Dea Norge with 8%, Petoro with 30% and Wintershall Norge with the remaining 20% interest.
A condensate leak occurred at 20:01 Wednesday at the Gjøa platform, prompting the company to shut down the production. The situation quickly came under control, and no injuries occurred.
Engie said on Thursday that the direct cause of the leak is now identified to be a fracture in a weld on a 3/4″ pipe associated with a condensate pump.
According to the company, the leakage generated gas detection with following shutdown, depressurization of the facility and release of deluge. The condensate leak was stopped and the situation on board the Gjøa platform is under normalization. No leakages to sea took place and production remains shut down.
Gjøa had 49 people on board when the incident occurred and 19 people were demobilized by helicopter and brought to a support center in Florø. Some of these employees are now returning to Gjøa to take part in the normalization process.
Engie’s emergency response organisation was mobilized to coordinate all support required and the company is now in dialogue with the relevant authorities. Also, an internal investigation group is now being established.
The Gjøa gas field is situated 60 kilometers west of Florø, on the west coast of Norway.