Taqa restarting Brent crude system

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ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. said it started the process of resuming the flow of oil through its Brent pipeline system following an offshore incident Monday.

The company, known also as Taqa, closed the Brent crude oil pipeline system as a precautionary measure following a small release of hydrocarbons from the Cormorant Alpha platform in the North Sea.

"The process of restarting Brent throughput follows a thorough technical evaluation that shows it is safe to do so without any increased risk to Cormorant Alpha," the company said in a statement.

The company said the pipeline carries about 80,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Production on the platform, however, remains closed.

"Hydrocarbon levels in the leg have been continually monitored since the release was discovered," said Taqa. "Measurements within the leg show that the volume released is small."

The company explained that it was still working to stop the leak and make necessary repairs. The company has about 90 non-core personnel of the initial 159 on board. Three specialists were ferried to the site "to help resolve the incident."

There were no injuries reported on the North Sea platform.