OIL company BP confirmed on Wednesday that production at their Schiehallion field west of Shetland was temporarily shut down while essential maintenance work is being carried out.
The unscheduled work comes only weeks after Schiehallion restarted production following months of maintenance work this summer.
BP said last night it was unable to say why and for how long the floating storage production and offloading vessel (FSPO) would be out of action.
A spokesman added that the work had nothing to do with the shuttle tanker Loch Rannoch which after months of helping out in the Gulf of Mexico clean-up had now to be taken out of service for a routine inspection.
The issue created some confusion at Wednesday’s harbour board meeting, when neither harbourmaster Roger Moore nor board chairman Alastair Cooper were able to explain what was happening.
The temporary loss of Schiehallion oil coming in to Sullom Voe Terminal has a significant impact on the port’s income, which these days amounts to 40 per cent from the Schiehallion traffic.
The BP spokesman said: “The Schiehallion FSPO has temporarily shut in to allow for essential maintenance.”
Schiehallion was out of action for five months until last February after an accident involving the Loch Rannoch damaging the main hose reel for unloading oil onto the shuttle tanker.
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.
Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.
Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has over 600 supporters who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.
Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -
- Bring you the headlines as they happen;
- Stay editorially independent;
- Give a voice to the community;
- Grow site traffic further;
- Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.
Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.
Already a supporter? Sign in to hide this message.