BP: North Sea Oil Spill to Disperse Naturally

BP said on Monday that a technical issue at its Clair platform in the UK North Sea a day earlier resulted in a brief oil spill which will be allowed to disperse naturally into the sea.

Production at the platform, located some 75 kilometres west of the Shetland Islands, was halted following the incident.

"At present, we believe the most appropriate response is to allow the oil to disperse naturally at sea, but contingencies for other action are being prepared," BP said in a statement.

"The total oil in water volume that was released has yet to be accurately assessed and work to determine this is ongoing."

Reporting by Ron Bousso