Liquid nitrogen leak causes Shell oil rig deck to fall onto walkway

An investigation has been launched after a section of a North Sea oil and gas rig’s decking fell onto a walkway.

The incident occurred on the Shell-operated Shearwater platform located 140 miles off the coast of Aberdeen on July 12.

A liquid nitrogen leak resulted in damage being caused to the underside of the deck. Debris fell onto the walkway below, which the Health and Safety Executive say could have caused “fatal injury.”

Shell UK was issued with an improvement notice on August 4 after the HSE “identified underlying causes” in relation to the adequacy of “existing arrangements” when it comes to “loss of containment events”.

The energy giant was determined to have committed six breaches, including ensuring that those on the rig weren’t exposed to risks to their health and safety.

Shell said staff worked quickly to stop the leak, and it was working to put improvements in place.

A spokesperson said: “Shell’s goal of zero harm to people is a priority that drives every decision we make.

“A small amount of liquid nitrogen was released, damaging the deck underneath. None of our teams were harmed and we acted quickly to stop the leak and block off the affected area.

“We informed the Health and Safety Executive of the incident immediately and are working with them to implement improvements.”

Shell has until September 9 to comply with the improvement notice. The HSE has confirmed the investigation is still ongoing.