Britannia Platform Halts Production Following Explosion

Oil Workers have been evacuated from the Britannia Platform in the North Sea after an explosion occurred in one of the three generators onboard the platform. The Britannia Platform is located 210 kilometers northeast of Aberdeen, Scotland. "There were no injuries sustained as a result of the incident and there was no fire," according to ChevronTexaco spokeswoman Ruth Mitchell. The operator, known as Britannia Operator Ltd., evacuated 78 non-essential personnel, while 72 workers remain at the platform. Production from the platform has been shutdown and will remain shutdown until situation can be fully assessed.

Before shutdown, the field was producing 700 million standard cubic feet of gas a day, Mitchell said. She was unable to provide the level of condensate production, but said the field produced an average of 31,000 barrels of condensate in May. Britannia was shut for a day last month after a power generator failed.

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