Shell’s Mars platform in the Gulf of Mexico was shut down Saturday after a “sheen [of oil] was observed on the water,” a Shell spokeswoman said. At the time of the shut-in, Mars was producing 150,000 b/d of oil and 170 MMcf/d of gas.

The incident began when there was an inadvertent shutdown of the safety valves on the Mars pipeline at West Delta 143. The Mars units on the tension leg platform (TLP) subsequently shut down.

Some blamed the shutdown in part for Monday’s spike in natural gas and crude futures (see related story this issue). “Gas as well as crude got to ride on the Mars platform shutdown story a little,” a Washington-based broker said. “This platform is critical in sending crude oil to Gulf Coast refineries as well as the loop. It’s a lynch pin-type facility that is used by people other than just Shell.”

After the sheen of oil was noticed, a remotely operated vehicle on the TLP was used to investigate the source of the sheen. Shell determined that the oil was coming from the bottom side of the departing oil pipeline flex joint, which had released an estimated 3.3 gallons of oil before discovered. The company noted that proper regulatory notifications were made promptly.

As a safety precaution, Shell said the oil pipeline from the Mars TLP remains shut-in until repairs can be made. “At this point in time, we have no estimate of how long this will take,” the spokeswoman said. She added that the company does not know when the platform will be returned to service.

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