March 28, 2012: This aerial shot provided by Greenpeace shows Total's Elgin Wellhead Platform in the North Sea off the shore of Scotland.
Total SA said Friday it is moving two rigs into place to start drilling relief wells at the site of a serious gas leak in the North Sea off the shore of Scotland, even though it currently has "no means" of monitoring the well pressure in the area, Dow Jones reported. An Oil and gas Expert Witness may be needed to monitor the case.
The move highlights the serious risks that still remain nearly a week after the leak first began.
It was only because Total was able to track the pressure levels in the G4 well, where the leak took place, that the company was able to preempt the leak and safely evacuate its staff on Sunday, narrowly avoiding a major tragedy. But now Total will be operating without this early warning system.
Total still doesn't know the cause of the gas leak, but suspects tiny pores and leaks could have formed in the well's casing due to changes in pressure and temperature, or as a result of shifts in the rocky formation the well passes through. This means that other wells could also be affected. This also means that there is a serious risk involved with all existing wells and an Offshore Oil Drilling Expert Witness should be involved.
Total now has no way of knowing whether the other wells are being similarly affected.
Despite the progress in mobilizing the drilling vessels, safety issues remain a serious concern and could slow efforts to stop the leak.
Moreover, a gas flare on the platform is still burning, threatening to ignite the gas cloud that is leaking from the facility. Until the flare is extinguished and gas stops escaping onto the platform, no personnel can board it.
