Recovery of stranded oil rig could take months

The Transocean Winner drilling rig after it ran aground on the beach of Dalmore in the Carloway area of the Isle of Lewis. (Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)

THE leaking oil rig that ran ashore in the Outer Hebrides may have to be dismantled, piece by piece.

Experts overseeing the massive salvage operation have admitted the giant Transocean Winner may have to be cut apart to remove it from the spot where it is stuck.

It went ashore at Dalmore, near Carloway, last week and is feared to have leaked more than 12,000 gallons of diesel – nearly a fifth of its fuel.

A flotilla of salvage ships are gathering in Stornoway, ahead of a salvage operation which is likely to cost millions and last some time, however the rig is removed.

Four experts have been drafted in from SMIT Salvage, a Dutch company, to assess the situation.

Once safety checks have been made and conditions have been met only then will they attempt to recover the rig.

Bad weather has hampered efforts to get a team on board by air to assess the state of the 17,000 tonne semi-submersible rig.

Hugh Shaw, the Secretary of State’s representative for maritime and salvage, is heading the operation. He is due to address a public meeting with representatives from Transocean tomorrow.

He said: “The main option and objective we’re going for is to refloat the installation, get it towed back out to repair and assess the damage.

“Already we’ve had heavy seas and the rig would have been lifted high on to the rocks. Determining the weight of the rig and the diesel still on board takes a lot of planning and naval architects are prepared for this but there may be engineering works required, too.

“The more extreme case is that the rig is unable to float and if we cannot do that then we need a wreck removal crew to dismantle and remove the rig, piece by piece.

“I must stress that is not in our plans at the moment, because we are trying the best we can to get it away in one piece.

“We have many considerations to take in. If it is safe we have to try and extract the fuel to take some weight off and get the rig floating again – it’s not much but enough to possibly make it come loose.

“However, there may be more difficulties with us being open to the elements and the shallow waters.”

Peak tides are expected in around a week, allowing tugs easier access to the rig.

Mr Shaw added: “It’s not a quick fix – we could be talking months away.

“We don’t want to risk life and we’ve not got any good weather coming as the summer is over.

“Every high water or storm could move it. It’s inevitable we are going to get more damage so it’s a case of moving it as quickly as we can.

“We need to get more information on the damage and how much fuel remains intact to help us with the weight distribution.”

A spokesman for the multi-agency Western Isles Emergency Planning Co-ordinating Group said coastal paths remained particularly hazardous and presented a danger to the public.

“A temporary exclusion zone of 300 metres to keep boats away remains in force,” they said.

Insurance experts have refused to be drawn on the estimated liability of such an accident.