Glasgow Evening Times: Tragedy rig in new safety scare: “A Shell spokesman said today the rig had been "downmanned" and that 86 workers had been flown to nearby Brent Charlie, Brent Delta and North Cormorant rigs.”: Tuesday 9 August 2005

A North Sea oil platform where two workers were killed was at the centre of another safety scare today after a leak was discovered in one of the rig's legs.

More than 80 workers were airlifted from Shell's Brent Bravo platform last night after the leak was found.

A number of employees have remained on the rig, which is in the process of shutting down so that the leak can be repaired.

A Shell spokesman said today the rig had been "downmanned" and that 86 workers had been flown to nearby Brent Charlie, Brent Delta and North Cormorant rigs.

He added that 60 staff remained on the installation, which lies 116 miles north-east of Lerwick in Shetland. "It is a small oil leak and no gas has escaped," he said.

In September 2003 Keith Moncrieff and Sean McCue died after a massive gas escape on board the Brent Bravo platform.

Shell were later fined £900,000 after it admitted a series of breaches of health and safety regulations.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/news/5042155.html