London - Oil major Royal Dutch Shell said its ruptured
pipeline in the North Sea continued to leak oil, although at a much slower
rate, in what is thought to be the worst UK oil spill for over a decade.
"The flow line leak is reduced to less than two barrels per
day," Glen Cayley, technical director of Shell’s European exploration and
production activities, told BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday.
Shell's update on the leak came as criticism was levelled at
the company by environmental groups for its lack of transparency. Sensitivities
remain high about marine oil leaks in the aftermath of BP's massive Gulf of
Mexico spill last year.
Reuters revealed on Saturday that the spill on the Gannet
field, which Shell co-owns with Exxon Mobil and which lies 180 km off the
Scottish port of Aberdeen, had been leaking for two days before the authorities
or Shell revealed it.
Speaking in the radio interview, Cayley defended the company's initial silence saying the leak was located among complicated underwater infrastructure.
"Only when we had confident information, really, did we want
to share that and since Friday we've issued daily bulletins and updates," he
said.
The company was not able to give an estimate of when it
expects the pipeline to stop seeping oil, a spokesperson said.
Shell said around 216 tonnes of oil, equivalent to 1 300
barrels, had leaked into the North Sea in a "significant spill", but the rate
at which it was flowing had been reducing since Wednesday when a well was shut
off.
Cayley said Shell was confident that oil from the leaking
pipe would not reach the shore line.
"At its maximum the sheen on the surface was some 30
kilometres in length, but thanks to fairly harsh weather conditions that's now
diminished," Cayley said, noting waves had helped to disperse the slick.