BP Alaska hit by new leak problems
19 Jul 2006
Oil giant shuts down 12 of its wells in Alaska as a precautionary measure, according to a company spokesman.
London — Leaks at over 50 oil production facilities have prompted BP to shut down 12 of its wells in Alaska. The shutdowns are a precautionary response to “ issues relating to the operation of the well, which we are investigating,” said a company spokesman.
The leakages all involved “small amounts that were mostly not oil” but a substance used to insulate the pipeline from ice in the ground, said the BP representative. The problems, he added, were not related a major leak from corroded pipeline leaks in Alaska earlier this year, which is now the focus of a US grand jury investigation.
In March, around 250,000 gallons of crude oil leaked from a BP Alaska pipeline at Prudhoe Bay. While BP has since identified corrosion as the cause of the leak, US investigators are reportedly focusing on the oil company’s pipeline maintenance regime in the region.
