Intervention Crew Installs Gas Diverter on Elgin Platform

PARIS (Dow Jones)–Oil major Total SA (TOT, FP.FR) Thursday said the specialized crew currently intervening on its North Sea Elgin Platform have further reinforced safety in order to complete a planned operation to end a gas leak that forced the evacuation and the powering down of the structure nearly a month earlier.

Over the past week, only two flights were made to Elgin, due to unfavorable weather conditions, although during these visits, a diverter was installed on the G4 well to take leaking gas away from the wellhead platform, thus making it easier and safer for helicopters to land.

“This specially manufactured device has been connected to the G4 wellhead and is now carrying the flow of leaking gas, via four flexible hoses, away from the wellhead and the platform. The fitting of this device ensures that there is no gas accumulating around the G4 wellhead or the platform,” Total said.

In addition to installing the diverter, the specialized crew were also able to continue laying down essential equipment for the well intervention and undertook further monitoring and inspection, the group said.

-By Geraldine Amiel, Dow Jones Newswires