Rig workers removed over contaminated ‘diesel’ water

Contamination: 40 workers taken off

Workers are being removed from a North Sea platform over ongoing problems with diesel contaminating its water supply.

Staff on BP’s Magnus installation were warned of the issue earlier this month, but an investigation has failed to find the source of the contamination.

Workers are being removed from a North Sea platform over ongoing problems with diesel contaminating its water supply.

Staff on BP’s Magnus installation were warned of the problem earlier this month, but an investigation has failed to find the source of the contamination.

The problem was discovered when workers reported a smell of diesel while showering on the platform, which is based around 100 miles northeast of Shetland.

BP confirmed last night that 40 non-essential staff were being taken off the platform. There will still be 140 workers on the structure. The company also said it had flushed the tanks and was confident there was no longer any contamination.

But the supply narrowly failed a quality test last week. The company also insisted the contamination was far below the level that could cause health problems. A spokesman said: “A detailed inspection programme to determine the root cause of the potable water issue on Magnus is ongoing. In order to lessen the impact of this inspection work on the teams offshore, we have decided to remove a small number of non-essential personnel from the platform.

“Around 40 of the 180 on board are expected to be taken off. Our priority remains to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those remaining on the platform and understand the source of contamination.”

The oil major issued bottled water for drinking, cooking and teeth cleaning.

One offshore worker, who spoke to the Press and Journal last week, described the facilities as “stinking”.

“Priority to ensure safety of those remaining”