Oil which leaked from an offshore platform at the weekend is dispersing quickly, BP has said.

About 95 tonnes of oil spilled from the Clair platform on Sunday, 46 miles west of Shetland in the North Atlantic.

The oil appears to be moving away from land and is dispersing naturally with “minimal” impact on local wildlife, according to the firm.

A fault in a system designed to separate oil and water is believed to be responsible for the leak and the Clair field will remain offline until the cause is identified.

A BP spokesman said: “We continue to monitor oil released to sea from the Clair platform following a technical issue on Sunday, with all data showing that the release is continuing to move in a northerly direction away from land and is being rapidly dispersed naturally.

“Oil spill and environmental experts from BP, Oil Spill Response and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have been working together to assess any potential environmental impacts.

“Five surveillance flights have so far been deployed to monitor the release with a further three today.

“The latest surveillance data suggests the total volume of oil remaining on the sea surface to be less than one cubic metre which indicates significant evaporation and dispersion already.”

BP added: “We are investigating the cause of the technical issue and the field will remain offline for the time being.”

Oil is pumped from the Clair field to Sullom Voe terminal in Shetland, where it is stored before being transferred on to tankers.

Source: stv.tv