Oil Rig Washes Aground on Scotland Shore -- Update

By Neanda Salvaterra 

British authorities have opened a probe into how a Transocean Ltd. oil rig ran aground in Scotland, the company and investigators said.

Rough weather caused the rig, known as the Transocean Winner, to disconnect from a tugboat Monday, said a spokeswoman for Switzerland-based Transocean, which provides offshore drilling services for energy companies.

According to ship tracking data from FleetMon, the tug boat with the 17580 ton rig in tow was heading for Malta after leaving Norway.

There were no people on board and no one was injured when the rig, which was carrying 280 metric tons of diesel, ran aground on the west side of the Isle of Lewis near Carloway, said the U.K. Maritime & Coastguard Agency, which is monitoring the situation. "It's believed the pollution risk is low," the agency said in a notice on its website.

The Transocean spokeswoman said the company "is working closely with authorities to resolve the situation as quickly as possible."

Write to Neanda Salvaterra at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 09, 2016 16:59 ET (20:59 GMT)

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