Lewis grounding oil rig loaded on to ship for Turkey journey
The 17 thousand tonne rig was detached from it's tug in a storm on a journey from Malta to Norway. It's been anchored in Broad Bay for 3 weeks.
A 17,000-tonne oil rig which ran aground on the Western Isles has been loaded onto a massive ship for transport to Turkey.
The Transocean Winner rig ran aground at Dalmore on Lewis in August after detaching from its tug in a storm en route from Norway to Malta.
The huge structure was refloated after three weeks and anchored at the island's Broad Bay. It has now been put aboard the semi-submersible heavy-lift vessel OHT Hawk.
The Hawk was intentionally partially submerged during the loading process and it has now resurfaced and the rig is clear of the water.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said some leakage, believed to hydraulic or gear oil, was spotted in the water late on Thursday.
The leak is thought to be a maximum of 50 litres and have come from a damaged part of the rig, which had 280 tonnes of diesel on board when it grounded at Dalmore during a storm.
The rig lost 53,000 litres of fuel in the grounding, most of which is thought to have evaporated with no damage to the environment, and officials said the remaining fuel had been safely removed.
The MCA said "appropriate counter-pollution measures" have been taken over the most recent leak and a flight check over the Hawk and Broad Bay on Friday found no further oil.
Vessels with counter-pollution equipment will remain on scene until there is no longer any threat of a release from the damaged rig.
Steps are now being taken to assess damage, start sea-fastening operations and other preparations which could take four or five days.
Hugh Shaw, Secretary of State's Representative Maritime and Salvage Intervention, said: "I'm delighted that after so much work and effort that the operation to load the Transocean Winner has been successful.
"We're so grateful to the community in the area for being so supportive from the time the rig first grounded in August right through this long process."