Mentioning gas and the north sea together, probably suggests the current leak from Total's Elgin platform at the moment.
But on the corporate front, BP is continuing to sell off unwanted assets with the $400m disposal of its southern gas assets in the north sea. The buyer is Perenco UK, which has made an initial payment of $100m with the rest due when the deal is completed by the end of the year.
The disposal means BP has raised $23bn from getting rid of unwanted assets, well on the way to its target of $38bn by the end of 2013. BP's Trevor Garlick said:
Perenco is committed to investing in and developing the southern gas assets beyond BP's plans, ultimately providing a longer-term future for the assets and the people who work there.
And, given the Total situation, it was good to hear this:
The continued safe operation of the assets will continue to be our priority as we support employees through the transition process.
BP shares are currently down 6.7p at 475.2p.
