Leaking Oil Rig Shut Down

Royal Dutch Shell said on Monday 19th December 2011 to Breaking News Ireland that it had shut down a drilling rig off the coast of Alabama, USA, after some 7,600 gallons of synthetic and biodegradable drilling fluid leaked. According to Shell, the leak was not from a well on the ocean.  

The US Coast Guard said the problem was reported on Sunday and that the leaking line was connected to a vessel supplying the drilling fluid. It said more than half of the leaking fluid was oil.

The Southern Environmental Law Centre says the drilling is part of an exploration plan challenged in court. Shell says US government environmental officials approved a plan to temporarily stop drilling and make repairs.

This drilling site is in the same Mississippi Canyon region as the BP spill and is some 7,300 feet deep.