Offshore Gas Leak in North Sea – Texans on the Way

Dailly Record Newspaper March 29, 2012

Texan oil experts fly to Scotland to help stop Total-owned Elgin platform leak

A team of Texan troubleshooters head for Scotland to prevent a major gas blast in the North Sea, according to a report in the 'Daily Record' newspaper.

The giant oil installation was completely sealed off and abandoned after being evacuated following the leak.

The shutdown and evacuation is unprecedented in the history of oil and gas exploration off Scotland.

The firm running the operation have drafted in a team of Texan “Hellfighters” in a bid to prevent a disaster akin to the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in the US.

Nineteen oil workers who stayed on the Total-owned Elgin platform were airlifted off yesterday.

A two-mile air and sea exclusion zone was imposed around the Elgin and the connected Rowan Viking drilling rig 150 miles off Aberdeen.

Rescued personnel said yesterday the sea was “boiling and bubbling” with escaping gas, indicating a subsea leak under the Elgin.