Airlift From Blaze-Hit Oil Vessel

OIL giants BP were yesterday investigating how fire broke out on a ship that can have nearly a million barrels of oil on board.

A total of 30 non-essential staff were airlifted from the Schiehallion production and storage vessel.

Fire broke out around 5am in the machinery area of the ship in BP’s Schiehallion field, 150 miles west of Shetland.

Aberdeen Coastguard were alerted, two helicopters were scrambled and an RAF Nimrod oversaw the evacuation.

The fire was put out by emergency teams on board before the choppers arrived but the 30 staff were transferred to neighbouring platforms as a precaution.

BP said all 91 staff on board at the time were accounted for.

A spokeswoman said: ‘As a precaution, production has been shut down and helicopters mobilised to a nearby field.

‘We don’t yet know how big the fire was yet or how it started but we are assessing damage.’

Health and Safety Executive officers are expected to fly to the vessel to begin an investigation.

The 870ft Schiehallion is capable of storing 950,000 barrels of oil