Shell's Mars production platform is seen in the distance just past a helicopter sitting on Shell's Olympus, a floating deepwater platform, 77 miles south of Venice in the Gulf of Mexico.

Shell's Mars production platform is seen in the distance just past a helicopter sitting on Shell's Olympus, a floating deepwater platform, 77 miles south of Venice in the Gulf of Mexico.

Shell crews have repaired a pipeline leak that caused the international energy company to temporarily halt crude oil production at three of its drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, the company said Friday.

The company will slowly restart production at the three platforms now that the issue has been resolved, a company spokesperson said.

The leak happened Thursday after a flange broke along the Shell pipelines at a pipeline booster station in Fourchon near Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, a company spokesperson said. The booster station maintains pressure and flow in the pipelines.

The flange leak, which was contained by Friday morning, affected the company’s Mars and Amberjack pipelines, which connect crude oil from Shell’s offshore platforms to refiners in Texas and Louisiana along the Gulf Coast.

Amberjack was turned back online earlier Friday. Mars took a bit longer but was reopened as of Friday evening.

Three Shell platforms were shut down because of the leak: Mars, Ursa and Olympus. The platforms are located about 130 miles from New Orleans.

Crews from Shell will stay at the Fourchon booster station through Friday night to make sure the repairs stick, the company said.

Email Robert Stewart at robert.stewart@theadvocate.com or follow him on Twitter, @ByRobertStewart.

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission

News Tips: newstips@theadvocate.com

Other questions: subscriberservices@theadvocate.com