Forties Oil Pipeline Shut for WWII Bomb Removal

03 August 2011

Oil giant BP has shut-down a pipeline off the north east of Scotland for five days while a suspected World War II bomb is removed from the seabed.

The device was discovered just a few feet from the Forties pipeline, about 25 miles east of Peterhead, earlier this year.

The closure of the line means production at dozens of offshore fields has been halted.

A subsea contractor and bomb disposal experts will remove the mine.

A guard vessel has been keeping ships away from the site since the 13ft, German-built explosive device was found on 22 March.

A controlled explosion will be carried out a few miles away.

The Forties pipeline transports about 40% of oil produced in the UK.

BP said all field owners that export into the system had been kept informed regularly.

The company insisted that disruption would be kept to a minimum, as many platforms often shut down during the summer to allow maintenance to be carried out.