Shell announced on 15 May that production from the Brutus field in the US Gulf of Mexico has resumed following a leak at the nearby Glider field on May 12, which shut-in all production to the associated tension leg platform.
While production remains shut-in at Glider and the other subsea tieback fields, the supermajor said that the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has approved the company to begin repairs at Glider.
Skimming of the sheen continued using infrared technology with support from aerial resources, Shell said. Joint efforts have recovered approximately 1229 bbl (or about 51,000 gallons) of oily-water mixture. The company said it does not expect any coastline impacts at this time.
About 88,200 gallons (2100 bbl) of crude oil discharged from a segment of flowline at the Glider field approximately 90mi south of Timbalier Island, Louisiana. The leak was suspected to be from four subsea wells at the near the Glider subsea tieback system in Green Canyon block 248. On 12 May, production from these four wells, which flow through a subsea manifold to Shell's Brutus platform, was shut-in. BSEE had reported that a 2mi x 13mi sheen was observed in the area.
Meanwhile, BSEE announced today, 16 May, that it has now formed a special panel to investigate the oil release at Glider.
The Glider field was discovered in 1996 and was brought online in 2004. The Glider subsea system ties back approximately 7m to Brutus via a single 6in buried and insulated flowline. The eight-slot Brutus TLP, which sits 165mi southwest of Louisiana, has been in production since 2001. The Brutus TLP was Shell's first deepwater platform to be specifically designed to serve as a hub for future subsea developments in the surrounding area.
Image: Oil sheen observed near Glider field, courtesy of the US Coast Guard Eighth District External Affairs.
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