Gas leak halts work on Statoil Njord platform

Statoil was forced to stop production on its Njord platform on Sunday (April 24th) after a gas leak was found in a riser - an event that may highlight how important it can be to use an adequate gas flow meter.

The leak was identified after operations had been halted earlier in the day due to issues with gas export compressor gaskets. Workers undertaking manual measurements spotted the leak during efforts to restart production, leading to a complete shutdown.

Speaking to Dow Jones, a Statoil spokesperson said: "There seems to have been a limited leak, but every gas leak is a gas leak too much. We take this seriously."

It comes after Statoil's Njord platform - which is located off the northern coast of Norway - was found to have sustained internal pipe damage last year. Production stopped on April 1st this year for safety reasons and partially resumed on April 16th until the latest problem was uncovered.

Installing and correctly using a gas flow meter could help other organisations to minimise leak-related problems.