LONDON, 27 March 2012 (From AFP) - Gas leaking from a North Sea platform forced the evacuation of a second rig on Tuesday, as coastguards banned ships and aircraft from travelling within miles of the accident. French oil giant Total, which operates the stricken Elgin platform 150 miles (241 kilometres) off Aberdeen on Scotland's east coast, said the leak was the most serious problem it had faced in the North Sea in a decade. More than 300 people have been evacuated from two rigs since the leak was discovered on Sunday. Ships have been ordered to stay at least two nautical miles (3.7 kilometres) from the platform while a the coastguard imposed a three-mile air exclusion zone. A cloud of gas has reportedly surrounded the platform, while Total confirmed there was a six-mile-long sheen on the water nearby. Simon Boxall, an oceanographer at Southampton University in southeast England, said he believed there was a strong risk of a gas explosion.

These Envisat ASAR images acquired over the North Sea area show what is believed to be oil that has leaked from the platform. This oil is clearest in the first image below.

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