The oil spill that was declared “under control,” is apparently “out of control,” as yet another leak has been found.
According to the Associated Press, the information regarding the spill undermines Shell’s earlier suggestions that it is a safer company than BP. Although smaller in scale than the terrible BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year, the spill is still significant and offers real challenges to wildlife.
Shell first told U.K. authorities about the initial leak last Wednesday. Glen Cayley, technical director of Shell’s European exploration and production activities, said that although Shell shut down the main leak by closing the well and isolating the reservoir, the smaller leak is much more difficult to control.
Cayley told reporters that the second leak is pumping about 42 gallons of gas into the water each day. The leak is supposedly located in an area hard to get to, being that it is surrounded by marine growth.
Today, Shell revealed that the oil spill has been growing and now covers about 6,400 acres (26 square kilometers). Cayley said in a statement that the first leak was controlled as of last Thursday but now “the oil found a second pathway to the sea.”
According to the NY Times, there’s a great deal of speculation on how Shell has handled this incident. Many believe it’s odd that the company waited three days to issue a public statement about the leak even though Shell had already informed authorities. Environmental groups are slamming the powerful company for being too slow in disclosing details about the leak.
Many believe this incident is likely to put more pressure on the United Kingdom to stick to its pledge of relying more on renewable energy sources.
