2,100 Barrel Shell Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico
Posted on
On Thursday, Royal Dutch Shell was forced to shut in all wells that flowed to its Brutus platform on account of an oil spill that dumped approximately 2,100 barrels of crude into the Gulf of Mexico. A company helicopter observed an oil sheen that stretched 2 by 13 miles in waters off the Louisiana coast on Thursday, notifying them of the spill. Once notified, the company pinpointed the leak and halted production. The cause of the incident is under investigation; however, Shell spokesman Curtis Smith has stated that the wells were under control and that there are no current drilling activities at Brutus.
In addition, Shell says that the sheen was most likely caused by an oil leak in subsea infrastructure. Response vessels are currently mobilized in the attempts to recover spilled oil. No injuries were reported and investigations continue as officials seek to determine the cause of the spill.
More About The Brutus Platform
In 2001, Brutus began operation. Well production flows to the Brutus platform, located at 2,900 feet below water. According to industry trade publications, Brutus has a daily top capacity of 150 million cubic feet of gas and 100,000 barrels of oil. The sheen is located close to Shell’s Glider Field, made up of four subsea wells.