Royal Dutch Shell announced Tuesday that it has finished the first phase of its operation to remove oil from the Gannet pipeline in the UK North Sea.
A major oil spill occurred at the Gannet Alpha platform in August 2011, but the recovery operation aimed at collecting the majority of the oil that remains in the carrier pipe only gained approval last month.
Shell reported in a statement that it has now completed the operation to remove oil contained in the outer carrier pipe of the Gannet F flowline bundle. The recovery operation involved the use of subsea pumps to recover oil into storage tanks on a recovery vessel. The recovered oil has been returned onshore for disposal via a licensed waste oil contractor
Shell added that it has been working in close cooperation with the UK Secretary of State’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Marine Scotland and the Health & Safety Executive.
The second phase of the recovery operation will begin in the spring of 2013, when Shell expects to flush clean the pipeline.
