Local officials have declared a serious emergency when around 200 barrels of reservoir fluid flowed into Poole Harbour in Dorset, southern England.
“It is estimated that nearly 200 barrels of reservoir fluid has been released into the water column in Poole Harbour,” said Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) in a statement on Sunday.
Reservoir fluids are classified into five types: black oil, volatile oil, condensate (retrograde gas), wet gas, and dry gas.
According to the PHC, the leak originated at the Wytch Farm plant, which is run by hydrocarbons producer Perenco. According to Xinhua, Wytch Farm is one of Europe’s largest onshore oil fields.
“PHC have activated their oil spill plan and are working with a number of organisations. A major incident has been declared, and a gold command unit has been established,” it added.
Members of the public have been urged not to swim at Poole Harbour or the surrounding area until further notice.
