Following the discovery of a major gas leak late Sunday involving the Elgin PUQ platform and Rowan Viking drilling rig about 150 miles off of the coast of Aberdeen in Scotland, 85 additional offshore workers have been evacuated off of an adjacent installation in what Shell is calling a ‘purely precautionary’ move. The most recent evacuations, bringing the total to approximately 300, were from Shell’s Shearwater platform and the Noble Hans Deul rig, both of which are located about 4 nautical miles from the leaking Elgin platform. No injuries or deaths have been reported since the discovery of the leak but officials have confirmed the presence of a gas cloud as well as an oily sheen in the vicinity of the Elgin. Total UK, the owner of the leaking platform, has proposed drilling a relief well in an attempt to stem the flow of gas into the North Sea. The company has called in over a dozen specialist engineers as well as Wild Well Control, a company that assisted with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico nearly two years ago.
If you or someone you love has been hurt offshore on a drillship, semisubmersible, jack-up rig or platform, contact the experienced maritime lawyers at Zehl & Associates today for a free, confidential consultation: 1-888-302-3838. Remember, those who are injured while working offshore in the maritime oil and gas industry are protected by laws like the Jones Act and General Maritime Law. Your employer is counting on you not understanding your legal rights.
