A major incident has been declared at Poole Harbour in Dorset after a leak from a pipeline from the Wytch Farm oil field.
An estimated 200 barrels of oil and reservoir fluids (about 11,000 gallons) are thought to have leaked into the water.
The incident, which was first reported at 1.43pm today (Sunday 26 March 2023), centred on a pipeline operated by Perenco, under Owers Bay.
Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) said they had implemented the oil spill plan and were assessing the situation. The pipeline has been closed and booms installed either side of the leak.
People have been warned not to swim in the harbour or surrounding area.
The Environment Agency said it had received reports of a “large amount of oil” in the harbour.
A coastguard aircraft was reported to checking the harbour area after reports of the leak.
Poole Harbour has several sites of special scientific interest and nature reserves, including Brownsea Island and the RSPB reserve at Arne. The Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty described news of the leak as “deeply concerning”. Ospreys, which fish in the harbour, were spotted in the area this morning.
Perenco extracts oil from the Wytch Farm field from the southern shore of Poole Harbour. The field is the UK’s biggest onshore producer, accounting for more than 80% of annual UK onshore production. The company also operates fields at Kimmeridge and Wareham in Dorset.
Franck Dy, the general manager at Wytch Farm, said in a statement:
“Any spill is an extremely serious matter and a full investigation will be launched to ascertain what happened at Poole Harbour.
“It is important to stress that the situation is under control, with the discharge of fluids having been stopped and the spill is being contained.”
A major incident has been declared due to an oil leak from the Wytch Farm oil field.
— Philip Broadhead (@PhilBroadhead) March 26, 2023
Please find more information below – further updates will be provided when we know more.
All partner agencies are working closely together to ensure all measures needed are being enacted. pic.twitter.com/NAJsnxaITt
Philip Broadhead, leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, tweeted a statement:
“The Wytch Farm oil field in the Purbecks has been operating since 1979 and is one of the largest onshore oil fields in Europe. We have today been advised by the operators that there has been a leak from the facility. Whilst this has been contained, we are told that oil has escaped into the water and surrounding area.
“We are liaising closely as part of long-established mechanisms with a variety of parties as this situation unfolds. The lead agency on this is Poole Harbour Commissioners and they have just issued a press release with further information. A major incident has been declared which results in all relevant partner agencies working closely together.
“As leader of the council I will, along with the senior Council team, be working to see what implications this leak may have and what action we may need to take. It is of course extremely disappointing to hear of this event and while there will be a time later for anger and investigation, our focus now must be on ensuring we can mitigate any impacts of this situation.”
A statement from PHC said:
“Earlier today a leak occurred at a pipeline operated by Perenco under Owers Bay in Poole Harbour.
“It is estimated that approximately 200 barrels of reservoir fluid has been released into the water column in Poole Harbour.
“The pipeline has been shut down and booms have been placed on either side of the leak. An assessment is currently being carried out.
“Perenco have mobilised Oil Spill Response Ltd and Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) have mobilised Adler and Allen to assist with this incident. These companies are specialists in oil spill response incidents.
“PHC have activated their oil spill plan and are working with a number of organisations. A major incident has now been declared and a gold command unit has been established.”
The UK Heath Security Agency said:
“Members of the public should not swim in Poole Harbour or the surrounding area until further notice. Anyone who has come into contact with the spill should wash immediately with soap and water. If eyes have come into contact with the spill, they should be rinsed with water.”
Dorset Council said it was supporting the Poole Harbour commissioners and other agencies to respond to the incident.
@PhilBroadhead @PooleHarbourC pleased with the swift action of Poole Harbour commissioners to help contain the oil spill in Poole Harbour and the support they have from BCP council. I have requested the Speaker to grant an Urgent Question on the incident in the Commons tomorrow
— Sir Robert Syms MP (@RobertSyms) March 26, 2023
The MP for Poole, Sir Robert Syms, tweeted that he hoped to ask an urgent question on the incident in the House of Commons tomorrow.
Vicki Elcoate, of Fossil Fuel Free Dorset, told DrillOrDrop this evening:
“This is a devestating blow to this fragile and important wildlife habitat. Perenco have a duty of care to look after it and it appears they have failed. The problem with allowing fossil fuel extraction to continue is that as well as the hugely damaging issue of greenhouse gas emissions, spills like this have a major impact on the environment”.
DRILL OR DROP? 
Where’s our Mr Collywobble ? I expect there will be an upside to all this, nothing to sea here . It gives a slightly different look to Brown Sea Island🤬
Preparing a similar leak of ‘serial toxic denials’ no doubt? Perhaps it will be blamed upon ‘Pro Russian propaganda’? Stranger things have been said by some, after all.
Maybe the Environment Agency will suddenly decide to carry out an un-‘controlled burn’ of the crude oil [dioxin?] toxic pollution?
Perhaps the EA will employ the same highly profitable toxic chemical, ‘Corexit’ which only serves to sink the crude oil pollutants to the bottom of the bay and poison millions of sea wildlife as was experienced in the Gulf of Mexico? Just as it was used in the Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico massive crude oil leak?
However, my thoughts are with the people whose lives and health depends upon the clean water bay waters, and the much endangered wildlife in Poole Harbour.
The surrounding seas will be, and possibly already are suffering from this horrendous leak of crude oil and ‘reservoir water’, that may well pollute Poole Harbour for many years to come. As it is worthy of note, that Poole Harbour is the largest natural tidal bay in the UK, with a significant tidal race, and eventually some of that pollution will reach the channel and surrounding waters in less than 12 hours.
A major fossil fuel pollution disaster for the people of Poole and the surrounding seas.
YY The EA are not directly involved in the response. The report notes it is Perenco, oil Spill Response LTD and the Harbour Commissioners. We just need a copy of the spill response plan here on DOD.
At 11.56pm I was fast asleep, Jono, and not using any fossil fuel-unlike yourself.
On waking today, fully refreshed, I would consider Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima. When the wind isn’t blowing one would just hope it doesn’t start blowing in your direction regarding the insurance policy for when the wind doesn’t blow. How many oil barrels worth of water have just been dumped back into the oceans at Fukushima? The “excess” on that insurance policy has rather a high cost. That is three out of not that many, so the excess does seem necessary.
Alternatively, one could consider Pacific Gas and Electric on trial for manslaughter in USA-not the gas but the electric!
Much as I like Poole Harbour, swimming in it at this time of year would not be at the top of my list of things to do. Swimming in it later in the summer I would be careful regarding the large number of craft dashing around it, burning up their fossil fuel for pleasure. How does one get to Brownsea Island?
A pipeline shut down as quickly as the problem was identified, and clean up can commence immediately. Looks to me as if there may be quicker and more controlled response to such an incident than may be possible for a number of other energy inputs.
How’s the Chernobyl “clean up” going? £200B to be spent on new nuclear in the UK to back up unreliable renewables. What would be the cost of one clean up operation, environmentally or financially? The first part is an awful lot of nurse equivalents. Energy security in place of health security. Doesn’t look to be a very satisfactory state of affairs to me.
A good nights sleep does enable those little grey cells to become refreshed, Jono.
Martin most environmental protectors don’t want nuclear either, so preaching to the converted there. It’s Brownsea Island, the sea and other coastal areas which have wildlife that are of concern and don’t think many of us have jet skis or motorised yachts so maybe you need some more sleep to refresh your “grey cells”.
https://www.phc.co.uk/environment/management/oil-spill-contingency-plan/ FYI
Well, Paula C you may live in your yurt but I do know something about Poole as I have a relative who lives there, and I used to work close by. Maybe a visit to Poole would actually tell you something about the place? My morning cuppa is actually next to me in a Poole pottery mug that I purchased in Poole. Poole Speedway has been very popular. Where is the most expensive housing area in UK outside of London and why? It is not the red squirrels that have done it.
Environmental protectors? OMG, what a pompous statement. You mean those who buy a bird box but don’t know a pigeon is a herbivore? (I have some odd avian behaviour happening in my garden with rooks chasing pigeons away from their nesting area. Seen it with them doing so with magpies, but with pigeons is a bit odd. More like a visit required to rook opticians than the pigeons have turned to eating animal protein, I suspect, as I saw other rooks elsewhere yesterday building nests with pigeons sitting in the same trees.)
I actually do want nuclear, and/or fusion, and hydrogen, even with the expense, and potential issues, whilst I suspect I have actually done more to protect the environment than many who virtue signal on this site. (There are many greens who are not Greens. Most of the farming community, to start with.) Why do I want them? Because Net Zero does not add up without them, (not just me but the scientists too) so you can claim to be an environmental protector but achieve nothing, except have a lot of money wasted. You can even claim the money is not being spent but with the IRA and the EU Green Deal and the UK spend, it adds up to £trillions, so someone, someday will need to identify that money has not been wasted. Based upon previous history, good luck with that when you try to explain that to those wanting to get medical treatment who didn’t get it. If they didn’t die, as a consequence, or live long enough to observe waste and their standard of living and vote someone in to reverse the process.
Off now to buy some decent bathroom paint before the woad range is the only one available.
Thank you Martin for that series of words that have nothing to do with the content of this article, I m upset to think that pigeons haven’t been enjoying the sausages that I put out for them tho.
There were the first two attempts at ‘serial toxic denials’ and ‘waffled irony’ attempts at ignoring the facts and seriousness of the spill, once again. The first of many similar ‘waffled irony’ and ‘serial toxic denials’, no doubt.
I was beginning to wonder how many [masked] cows would have to be sacrificed to equivalent the toxic pollution from Perenco’s oil pipe spill in Poole Harbour?
Instead, however, it was temporarily replaced by the urgent attempt at sophistry, denial and sacrifice of any discernibly sensible rationality?
Even Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear environmental holocausts were dragged into the attempts at defensive justification for an oil leak?
Apparently, the term ‘Unacceptable’ has to be spread far and wide in order to drag the blame as far away as possible?
Just like gas flares, the strategy is to spread the blame as far away from the origin of fossil fuel industry pollution as ‘perceivably possible’?
Looking at the Poole Harbour Oil Spill Contingency Plan the ‘Reservoir Fluid’ leak, [such an innocuous term? That the Poole Harbour oil leak yesterday will be dealt with by several additional specialists, including the Environment Agency, Parenco and Alder & Allan amongst them. -*’ – https://www.phc.co.uk/environment/management/oil-spill-contingency-plan/ – *’
Early days yet, time will tell as the spring migration of tourists and seabirds will show how many will be ‘killed’ as a ritual sacrifice? No cows to blame any more?
And spring is such a wonderful time for ‘all’ of nature. How will they tell the seabirds not to swim and dive for fish? Big plastic signs?
Yes, YYL, early days, time will tell. The May report is a bit previous.
YY The term ‘Reservoir Fluid Leak’ describes what has leaked, as opposed to a a leak from a chemical line, fresh water line or processed oil line – say. So it is a specific description as required for the oil spill response plan and and its associated actions. The response will be tailored to that fluid. Re the EA, how they respond in these cases is detailed in https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-we-respond-to-marine-pollution-incidents They do give advice on the use of chemicals such as dispersants, but I suspect that, in this case, the response is guided by the existing response plan and chemicals / methodology as stocked and agreed when the plan was accepted. There will be a difference in approach to an uncontrolled deep-water event (Macondo) where the leak lasted some 85 days at an estimated flow rate of 50-70,000bpd (primarily oil), to a discrete event of some 200bbl of reservoir fluid. Hence I think there is no likelihood of the EA overriding the current plan and requiring an uncontrolled burn of the estimated 35bbl of oil, or a to requirement the use of the chemical you note.
I do think that the EA will not be happy there has been a leak and along with the Health and Safety Executive (Pipelines) will want to know why the line has failed and what this means to the other flow lines, I suspect.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/pipelines/index.htm
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1112139108#:~:text=The%20agreement%20between%20this%20model,between%2070%2C000%20and%2050%2C000%20BPD.
Thank you Jono for dreaming of me last night. Flattering and worrying! However, I will be satisfied you were interested enough to read my series of words as and when you surfaced.
Don’t worry about your sausages. The red kites will probably deal with them. (Hope they contain British pork! Wouldn’t want to import any more stuff that could be produced locally.)
I have lost count of how many times those that support fracking and fossil fuels have commented on this forum and used this site in Dorset as a supposed “ wonderful” example of fossil fuel production, to try to justify fracking and onshore production. And yet, even this “wonderful” site has caused significant damage from this leak and the photos show the ugly paraphernalia, although screened by trees is nevertheless a huge blot on the landscape. And this site will of course have leaked methane and the oil produced contributed to climate breakdown and air pollution. The fossil fuel industry is dirty, toxic and ugly.
Add to this spill all the other leaks and spills over the many decades, including the likes of Norilsk in the Arctic and Deep Water Horizon in the US. Add to that the pollution from flaring, air pollution from traffic, venting, fugitive emissions, burning fossil fuels for heat and power, the petrochemical industry all the VOCs. It is scientifically proven that many thousands of people die prematurely every year because of the pollution from fossil fuels. And climate breakdown caused by fossil fuels is destroying our planet. It is bizarre how anyone can attempt to defend the indefensible.
There are alternative energy sources available now that can significantly lower fossil fuel use and the cost of energy. A powerful fossil fuel industry has succeeded in deliberately undermining and concealing its own scientific evidence. Evidence that with no alternative left it now accepts. But this has delayed green energy progress and investment. Whilst the fossil fuel industry makes record profits, the pollution continues and the world continues to heat.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11905991/Shocking-scale-Poole-Harbour-oil-spill-revealed-drone-shots-Dorset-coast.html
This is the first incident of any significance at this site since it started production, KatT, many years ago. I am unaware that anyone has referenced the site as having any link to fracking. The millions of fracking sites that have thrived without incident might have been. Fossil fuels have not delayed alternative energy sources, in many cases they have financed them! Now, over £1 trillion is being committed by USA, UK and EU-in addition to that from the fossil fuel companies. If you seriously think you can still play the under funding card, beware. Some might start to ask what they are getting for that investment.
The damage to the sensitive environment around Wytch Farm has previously been shown to be from tourists setting fire to the habitat with barbecues! On several occasions. In comparison, this incident, so far, has resulted in two sea birds being found covered in some oil and in need of cleaning. I do hope that is the full extent of the issue, but time will tell, and will show the extent to which the reality and the speculation converges. Strange though that the damage to the bird population is so ignored regarding wind turbines. What about the swans that can be seen, on occasion, dead and hanging from electricity distribution wires?
It is scientifically proven that many millions of people around the world live longer and thrive thanks to fossil fuels, let alone all the ones rescued by their use when a natural disaster strikes. Perhaps you are unaware of fertilizer production, just for starters. I am afraid there is not enough BS to do the job, and even less if the poor cows are reduced for what else they produce.
As usual Martin you cherry pick and ignore the substance of what is written.
Quite frankly one oil spill is one too many. And if you did a tiny bit of research you would realise there have been other issues with this site – gas clouds, flaring and of a water and crude oil spray contaminating surrounding land, not to mention it is the same company that owns the infamous nodding donkey that emits large amounts of methane, albeit legally,. All adding to the evidence that supports the points I make ie that the production and burning of fossil fuels is toxic, highly polluting and is causing climate breakdown.
Fossil fuels are literally destroying our planet and studies show that worldwide one in five deaths is now caused by air pollution from burning fossil fuels.
Tourists causing grassfires is inexcusable but how many more grassfires and wildfires are occurring more frequently and on a larger scale because of warmer global temperatures? Just look at the evidence. How many more droughts and floods? The biodiversity we are losing due to rising temperatures, pollinators etc etc?
As I said earlier I find it bizarre that people try to defend the indefensible,
PS And I can assure you that Wytch Farm has definitely been cited by industry as well as in comments made on this forum as an example to justify fracking and onshore production
KatT: You accuse me of cherry picking and then produce a text that contains factual errors. Perhaps the solution is in your own fingers?
There are not large amounts of methane being emitted at Kimmeridge, although skin divers have noted for decades a lot out in the Bay, whilst they explore the thriving marine environment. There is less methane being emitted from the site than the large numbers of cows produce that I have seen grazing around the site. Infamous? Not to the tourists who picnic close by and tell their kids about the purpose of the site. Maybe famous to the school teachers who set alight rocks on the beach to demonstrate some facts to their pupils about the local geology.
There are amounts of methane being produced in Poole Harbour, nothing to do with Wytch Farm. Is that special “green” methane?
You are helping to create a demand for fossil fuels, KatT. If you are unable to do without them, what right have you to try and remove them from the deserving billions of people who rely upon items such as fertilizer to exist and thrive? You quote figures about death rate yet you ignore survival rate and life expectancy. You are trying to create a one sided equation that just does not add up-because it is one sided. That is bizarre and indefensible, but it is your right to do that-but please use accurate data to do so, and don’t whinge about others detailing the other side of the equation. You are also on the other side of the equation.
Usual crass comment on an event of enormous significance. It’s time the beatification of the FF industry for their initiatives in saving the planet, which their products have imperilled, ceased.
Like oil off a cows back isnt it?
HaHa! Someone wrote – ‘Will they blame the Russians for the pipeline blow out in Poole Harbour?’
To which was replied ‘They’ll blame it on anyone but themselves!’
Never a truer word was spoken in jest, or in Poole Harbour for that matter.