An oil leak at a North Sea platform caused it to be partially evacuated on Saturday, its Middle East operator said, the second such incident at the installation in less than two months. The Alpha Cormorant platform and the pipeline system it services were shut down as a precaution, operator Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) said in a statement. The company said it had evacuated 71 of its 145 non-essential staff from the platform, situated 160 kilometres (100 miles) northeast of Lerwick on the Shetland Islands north of Britain, and that everyone was safe and well. “TAQA Bratani can confirm that a hydrocarbon release detected in one of the Cormorant Alpha platform legs has now been contained, with no further hydrocarbon release,” the company said.
