Diesel in offshore platform water a mystery

Investigations are continuing on a BP-operated North Sea platform to try to find out how diesel contaminated part of the installation’s water supply.

The root cause of the incident on the Magnus platform still remains a mystery more than a week after it was first reported. The problem was discovered when people complained about a strong smell when they were washing in the showers.

After carrying out tests, the firm issued a safety notice to all staff insisting the level of diesel in the water was too low to pose a health risk.

The oil major issued bottled water for drink-

“One worker described the facilities as stinking”

ing, cooking and teeth cleaning.

One offshore worker, who asked not to be named, described the offshore facilities as “stinking”.

A BP spokesman confirmed yesterday that inspections are still ongoing on the platform, which is around 100 miles north-east of Shetland.

He said: “We are continuing to work a detailed inspection programme in response to the potable water issue on Magnus to determine the root cause.

“Since isolating one of the storage tanks, the latest sampling produced one failed test by a very small margin and far below the level which could cause health issues.

“Testing of other samples is ongoing. The team offshore continue to have access to bottled water for drinking and food preparation and have been advised the water supply is safe for showering. Our priority remains to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the team on the platform.”