LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Less oil is leaking from a ruptured underwater pipe at Royal Dutch Shell PLC's (RDSA, RDSA.LN, RDSB.LN) Gannet Alpha platform in the U.K. North Sea, the Anglo-Dutch oil major said Tuesday, although the sheen now affects a wider area due to a change in wave and wind conditions.
"The rate of leakage from the flowline to the Gannet platform continues to decline and currently stands at less than one barrel a day," said Glen Cayley, technical director of Shell's exploration and production activities in Europe.
Shell has been working to contain a leak from a ruptured undersea pipe at the Gannet Alpha platform since last Wednesday. Shell said the leak is "under control" and that the well that feeds the pipeline, shut in since Wednesday, remains closed.
Shell said it estimates around 1,300 barrels of oil have been spilled as a result of the leak. If Shell's estimate is correct, it is the largest to affect the country since 2000. On Monday, the company said oil was leaking at a rate of less than five barrels a day.
Shell said the sheen now affects a wider area of approximately 26 square kilometers and is estimated to be between one and 10 tons in volume.
However, Shell said it still didn't expect the spill to reach land.
"The situation remains that there is no need for use of dispersant, and we continue to expect that it will not reach the shore," said Shell.
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