Patrice de Vivies, chairman of Total UK, told Reuters he had already warned Royal Dutch Shell, which operates the neighbouring Shearwater field, that its operations could also be at risk from the problem.
An extensive programme of repairs could be needed across North Sea oil and gas operations in light of emerging evidence of causes of last year’s Elgin gas leak, experts have warned.
Oil & Gas UK has warned there could be a record slump in production in 2013 because of increased downtime for maintenance. Photo: Alamy
By Emily Gosden, Energy Correspondent: 9:14PM BST 05 Sep 2013
A corrosive drilling fluid may have been to blame for the leak at the Total-operated platform, which went on for a month and a half before being stopped and contributed to a slump in North Sea production last year .
The French energy giant is planning to “kill†and replace 10 other wells in the area in light of the lessons learnt from the Elgin accident.
Patrice de Vivies, chairman of Total UK, told Reuters he had already warned Royal Dutch Shell, which operates the neighbouring Shearwater field, that its operations could also be at risk from the problem. Shearwater, like Elgin, produces gas at high pressure and high temperatures.
“With Shell we have shared even more as they have a neighbouring field, Shearwater, meaning they potentially have, perhaps, not identical, but similar problems,†Mr de Vivies said. Shell declined to comment.
Liane Smith, founder of well integrity specialist Intetech, part of Wood Group, said: “It’s an operational well, and there are hundreds of thousands of those out there, and any one of them at any time potentially could suffer from the sort of problem Elgin has apparently had, so we need to know about it as an industry.â€
John Downs, a chemical engineer who runs a consultancy, said that “an extensive well repair programme may be needed if the stress corrosion cracking caused by bromide brine in Elgin is also happening elsewhereâ€.
North Sea production has declined every year for the last decade and the industry body has already warned that 2013 could see the biggest slump yet.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
MORE DETAILS:
A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
